Aerobics Instructor’s Ruptured Ovarian Cyst: What You Need to Know About the Dangers of Intense Exercise on Women’s Reproductive Health

Phuong Anh, a 26-year-old aerobics instructor, experienced severe abdominal pain after teaching her students. Initially, she thought she had appendicitis, but after consulting with a doctor, it was discovered that she had a ruptured ovarian cyst and bleeding.

On April 17, Doctor Le Thanh Hung, Deputy Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, explained that Phuong Anh’s abdominal CT results ruled out appendicitis and showed bleeding from her left ovary. The doctor diagnosed her with a ruptured corpus luteum cyst, which caused intra-abdominal bleeding.

Women have two ovaries responsible for producing eggs and hormones. During the menstrual cycle, the ovaries form corpus luteum cysts, which last for about two weeks from ovulation to the start of the next cycle. Factors like vigorous exercise, excessive labor, or incorrect sexual intercourse can lead to the rupture of these cysts, causing bleeding.

In Phuong Anh’s case, Doctor Thanh Hung attributed the rupture of her ovarian cyst to her intense aerobics workouts