Hailey Bieber, 28, Is Struggling With Two Ovarian Cysts Just Months After Giving Birth To Her Son

“If you deal with ovarian cysts, I’m right there with ya!”

According to MedlinePlus, “The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system. They produce a woman’s eggs and make female hormones. Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs in or on an ovary. They usually form during ovulation, when the ovary releases an egg.

“They are usually harmless and go away by themselves. Most women have them sometime during their lives. Most ovarian cysts are small and don’t cause symptoms.” Additionally, these types of cysts rarely become cancerous.

Although Hailey didn’t offer any additional insight into her current health status, we do remember how she took to social media back in November 2022 to announce she had an ovarian cysts the size of an “apple,” insisting the swelling in her lower abdomen was due to the cyst and not pregnancy.

Prior to that, Hailey, who has been married to Justin since 2018, previously suffered “stroke-like symptoms” from a blood clot in her brain. The shocking health scare, which Hailey described as “one of the scariest moments” of her life on Instagram, took place in March 2022.

Following the incident, Hailey remains on medicine to thin her blood and aspirin.

RELATED: Hailey Bieber Endured ‘Painful’ Side Effects From an IUD—a Type of Birth Control New Research Links To Heightened Breast Cancer Risk

Months later, her 28-year-old husband Justin also dealt with a serious health issue. He explained in an Instagram video, “I wanted to update you guys on what’s been going on. Obviously, as you can probably see from my face, I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome [RHS], and it is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis.

“I’m gonna get better and I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal and it will go back to normal. It’s just time,” he added.

Despite their prior health issues, Hailey and her husband are doing well as new parents to their sweet 8-month-old son.

A few weeks ago Bieber took to Instagram to share a variety of photos, including some of his son, to his Instagram page, captioning the post, “ITS CUZ I AM A MANIAC … that we dedicated Jack Blues Bieber to Jesus.”

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A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

What are Ovarian Cysts?

According to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), ovarian cysts, like the one Hailey has which are common for women with regular menstrual cycles are fluid-filled as opposed to ovarian tumors which are solid masses.

“Most ovarian cysts are not harmful, don’t cause symptoms and are not indicative of risk for future ovarian cancer, though some complex ovarian cysts may raise the risk,” the OCRA explains. “Ovarian cysts are common in women with regular menstrual cycles, and less common in post-menopausal women.  Approximately 8% of pre-menopausal women develop large ovarian cysts that require treatment.”

These types of cysts, which can go away naturally or be removed through surgery, may only cause symptoms when they become large enough to feel, twist, or rupture.

Symptoms of ovarian cysts can include: abdominal pain or ache, bloating, pain during intercourse, facial or body hair growth, menstrual changes, and frequent urination.

Emergency surgery is needed in rare instances when a cyst has ruptured, causing intense pain in the abdomen, fever, and nausea.

“Some women have surgery to remove cysts (called cystectomy), and only a small percentage of these cysts are cancerous.  Surgery may be used to rule out ovarian cancer, confirm the diagnosis of an ovarian cyst, or remove a cyst that is causing symptoms and/or is very large,” OCRA adds.

“It may be utilized if an ovarian mass that has been watched through ultrasound for several months does not go away; if there are masses on both ovaries; if an ovarian mass is present and you have never had a period, have gone through menopause, or use birth control pills (excepting low-dose progestin-only pills or if you have missed a pill, which would make an ovulation-related functional cyst more likely), or if the cyst is causing pain.”

Ovarian Cysts or Cancer? How to Tell The Difference

Benign ovarian cysts which commonly develop during a woman’s menstrual cycle can sometimes be hard to differentiate from ovarian cancer. “We know that women, during the course of their lives, have a lot of ovarian cysts,” says Dr. Colleen McCormick of Compass Oncology.

How to tell the difference between ovarian cysts and cancer.

"Most of the time, they're benign, but unfortunately, we don't have a way of telling whether a cyst is benign or cancerous," Dr. McCormick explains.

According to Dr. McCormick, the best available tools that doctors have for assessing ovarian cancer risk are:

• Ultrasounds
• Family history
• Symptom evaluation

Ovarian Cancer Overview

Ovarian cancer has been called the “cancer that whispers” because women often don’t experience symptoms until their cancer has already reached its late stages. The symptoms that do appear at first are hard to identify as cancer. This subtlety of symptoms makes it essential for women to know the warning signs, and report them to their doctor, SurvivorNet’s experts warn.

The term ovarian cancer refers to a number of different tumors that grow in the ovary. The ovaries produce the sex hormone, estrogen, as well as eggs. Every woman has two ovaries, one on either side of her uterus. The fallopian tube picks up the egg from the ovary and carries it to the uterus for fertilization.

Diagnosing ovarian cancer and making a treatment plan.

Many ovarian cancers actually begin in the fallopian tubes. A few cancerous cells first grow on the fallopian tubes and then, as the fallopian tubes brush over the ovary, these cells stick to the ovaries and eventually grow to form a tumor.

There isn’t just one ovarian cancer; there are many different types that occur at different stages of life. In fact, researchers have identified over 30 types, but these three are the most common:

• Epithelial. About 90% of ovarian cancers are epithelial, which means the cancer cells are located on the outer layer of the ovary. Most epithelial tumors are not cancerous, but when they are cancerous, they can spread before they’re detected.
• Stromal. This rare type of tumor forms in the connective tissue that holds the ovary together and produces estrogen and progesterone.
• Germ cell. These tumors, which develop in the cells that produce the eggs, are more likely to affect a single ovary, rather than both ovaries. When a teen or young woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it’s usually the germ cell type. The good news is that most women with these types of ovarian cancers can be cured.

Signs of Ovarian Cancer

In regards to ovarian cancer’s hard-to-detect symptoms, Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, previously explained in an interview, “What we’ve found from multiple studies, it’s this constellation of symptoms.”

“If that’s really happening and you’re experiencing it every day, and they seem to be crescendo-ing, getting worse, even if that goes on for only two weeks, you should call your doctor.”

Ovarian cancer symptoms may include:

• Feeling full earlier/decrease in appetite
• Feeling bloated
• Changes in bowel habits
• Pain in the pelvis
• Urinary symptoms, such as an urgent need to go
• Extreme fatigue
• Abdominal swelling
• Pain during sex

Ovarian Cancer: The Cancer That Whispers

Sharing a Diagnosis

Plenty of people who have undergone cancer treatment, or are coping with another type of health issue, like ovarian cysts, will tell you that openly discussing their condition has eased some of the stress associated with it, but this doesn’t work for everyone. Because cancer treatment is not a one size fits all approach, and it affects everyone different mentally, not everyone feels comfortable sharing what they are going through with others in social situations.

Some people want to share their experiences as much as they can and others don’t want to tell anyone. Both of these approaches, and everything in between (maybe you only want to tell a few close friends about your diagnosis), are valid.

“Patients who have just been diagnosed with cancer sometimes wonder how they are going to handle the diagnosis of the cancer in social situations,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik explains. “How much information they should share and with whom they should share the information … everybody is different.”

Dr. Plutchik explains that some share the information widely, with family, friends, and beyond and feel comfortable doing so. “Other people are much more private about it,” she says, “And there is no one right way to handle this diagnosis.

“People should do what feels right to them. Going through a cancer diagnosis, through treatment, is often a very long process. And then if you also include after treatment ends where a person is in a kind of state of limbo, waiting to see if they are clear and get their scans. It may be three months or six months into the future. People are still dealing with uncertainty at that point.”

Dr. Plutchik stresses that those close to a person going through cancer should be respectful of their wishes when it comes to disclosing their diagnosis and seeking support.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

• What can I do if I am uncomfortable talking about my diagnosis?
• If I feel that I need support beyond friends and loved ones, what are my options?
• What can I do if I feel anxiety around my diagnosis?
• How much do I need to disclose to my place of employment?

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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