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Woman's 'pregnant' belly turns out to be 26kg ovarian cyst

The internet collectively freaked out this week over the news that a man’s supposed beer belly was actually a 35kg cyst. But men aren’t the only ones experiencing this strange phenomenon.

In a blog post earlier this year, 28-year-old Keely Favell shared pictures of a 26kg cyst that she initially thought was either a late-term pregnancy or weight gain.

A woman in Wales found out through an ultrasound that what appeared to be a late-term pregnancy was actually a 26kg cyst. Source: Keely Favell/Emergency Departments are for Emergencies Only
A woman in Wales found out through an ultrasound that what appeared to be a late-term pregnancy was actually a 26kg cyst. Source: Keely Favell/Emergency Departments are for Emergencies Only

Posting to her blog, Keely said that when she saw her belly expand, she was too nervous to go to the doctor.

I was… afraid that I would be dismissed as merely being fat,” Keely wrote.

It wasn’t until she began experiencing blackouts at work that her mum convinced her to go to the doctor. “Looking at me, anyone would have assumed I was nine months pregnant,” she wrote.

Once in front of medical professionals, Keely was examined for a possible pregnancy — but doctors found something else.

“The ultrasound showed I had a large ovarian mass,” she revealed. “This led to me being referred to a High Risk Obstetrics Consultant who told me that surgery was a must, and I would be cut open from my chest bone all the way down to my pelvic bone; pretty much like an old-fashioned C-Section.”

Keely eventually went in for surgery in March, however, doctors still weren’t able to tell her exactly how big the cyst was — or whether it was dangerous.

But after more than four hours of surgery, they were able to successfully remove what turned out to be a 26kg cyst.

Keely after the 26kg cyst was removed. Source: Keely Favell/Emergency Departments are for Emergencies Only
Keely after the 26kg cyst was removed. Source: Keely Favell/Emergency Departments are for Emergencies Only

Although the 28-year-old didn’t share exactly what type of growth it was, since she said the aftermath was “plain sailing,” it’s possible she was experiencing a mucinous cystadenoma — a cyst that begins on the ovaries, becomes filled with mucuslike liquid, and then continues to grow.

For Keely – who couldn’t be reached by Yahoo Lifestyle for comment – the removal of the cyst seems to mean a new lease on life.

The shock on my family’s faces said it all,” she wrote of the surgery’s aftermath. “I was literally half the woman I was going down.”

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