Ovarian cancer is a silent killer which keeps itself secreted inside the pelvis. There is no screening test for this.
Ovarian Cancer Facts – Statistics
About one in 100 women above 40 years of age can have this condition. If it is detected early, the cure rate is about 90%. At the time of diagnosis, more than 75% of the cases have cancer in its advanced stage. 70% of the women diagnosed with ovarian cancer die.
Various reasons may lead to the delay in detection of the ovarian cancer. There is no definite test for detecting ovarian cancer. Your doctor performs blood test and check for the availability of protein called CA-125 in the blood.
This is high if you are at a risk of ovarian cancer. Also, for some gynecological problems such as fibroids or endometriosis, this protein is detected high.
Ovarian cancer facts – warning signs often missed
Here are some of the ovarian cancer warning signs that we often ignore:
Bloating: It is one of the warning signs of ovarian cancer, essentially when bloating is average, painful or uncomfortable. If you have abnormal bloating, talk to your doctor about the possibility of ovarian cancer.
Pelvic or abdominal pain: Ovarian cancer patients usually experience pelvic and abdominal pain or chronic constipation more often when compared to normal people.
Poor appetite and weight loss: Other warning signs of ovarian cancer include having trouble in eating or feeling full only after eating just a small amount of food. Due to decreased appetite, weight loss is common and is one of the most powerful ovarian cancer warning signs.
Urinary problems: 18% of people with ovarian cancer often complain about constant urge to urinate, frequent urination, urinary incontinence, or urgency to urinate. These are also the symptoms of urinary tract infection, but usually without accumulation of painful urination.
Fatigue and pain: Fatigue and pain experienced by people with ovarian cancer are often similar to symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome in women without ovarian cancer, but ovarian cancer patients experience them for almost all days of the month.
Cramping: 22% of the women with ovarian cancer experience abdominal cramping for more than two weeks and is not associated with vomiting or diarrhea.
Vaginal bleeding: Less than 25% of people with ovarian cancer can experience irregular vaginal bleeding.
Some other common ovarian cancer warning signs include:
- Gastro intestinal symptoms such as nausea and heartburn
- Changes in bowel habits such as diarrhea and constipation
- Poor appetite and tiredness
- Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
Ovarian cancer facts – conditions leading to ovarian cancer:
Be aware of these conditions; they may lead to ovarian cancer:
- Risk of ovarian cancer increases as you age and 9 out of 10 cases with this cancer are above 40 years
- If you have had few or no pregnancies
- If you haven’t taken birth control pills
- If you have undergone endometriosis
- If there is a family history of bowel, ovarian, uterine and breast cancers.
