It’s one of the deadliest forms of reproductive cancer, but survival rates are 94% if caught early. Here is how to recognize the symptoms of ovarian cancer—and get the proper screening test
What if there were a cancer that had virtually no symptoms (or so everyone told you)? What if there were no routine screenings (or ones your insurer would cover)? What if any symptoms you tried to report were dismissed by your doctor as vague or benign complaints? And what if, when that cancer was finally detected, it would almost certainly be too late to save you, and you’d be told you had only about 5 years to live?
Now, what if that cancer could have been found, could have been treated, and could have been cured with very little muss and fuss? Would you be mad as hell? Sure you would—and you should be. There’s no “what if” about it. This is the reality of ovarian cancer today.
- Each year, about 21,880 American women of all ages and races are diagnosed.
- Ovarian cancer takes the lives of 2 out of every 3 women diagnosed—and that hasn’t changed for 3 decades, mainly because few effective early screening methods exist.
“In the absence of screening, it’s important that women know the symptoms of ovarian cancer so they can see the doctor in a timely fashion,” says Cynthia A. Gelb, director of the CDC’s Inside Knowledge campaign, an initiative to educate women about gynecological cancers. If they signal ovarian cancer, any of these symptoms would likely occur as often as 3 times a week over a period of several months to a year.
- Pain in your pelvis or abdomen
- A strong or frequent need to urinate
- Abdominal bloating
- Difficulty eating or a tendency to feel full quickly
WHAT NOW?
- Get Checked: If you have any of these symptoms in the time frame given above—or you have a family history of reproductive cancer—and suspect ovarian cancer, tell your doctor and ask for an exam, a transvaginal ultrasound, and/or a blood test.
- Get political. Ask your congressional representative to become a cosponsor of the Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act. Get info on the status of the bill and how to reach your representative.