Specific symptoms, including bloating, could be early warning signs of a deadly cancer affecting women. While around 7,500 women are diagnosed in the UK each year, many are only diagnosed once the disease has already reached an advanced stage, when survivability is at its lowest.
The common nature of the early symptoms means ovariancancer is often misdiagnosed at first, and only 45% of patients survive more than five years after their diagnosis, according toOvarian Cancer Action. The symptoms are often mistaken for other conditions like Irritable Bowel Disease and one in four women mistakenly believe their smear test detects ovarian cancer.
Common ovarian cancer symptoms:
- Dr Amir Khan message for people on lansoprazole, omeprazole, or pantoprazole
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- Persistent bloating
- Pelvic or abdominal pain
- Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
- Changes in urinary habits
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss or gain
Bloating, difficulty eating, needing to pee more often and stomach pain are the four main symptoms of the condition. Women experiencing this can use the symptoms tracker diary from the charity, which can help their GP narrow down a diagnosis.
Marking Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the charity is urging people to be aware of the symptoms and “change the future for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer”.
The disease mainly affects women over the age of 50, but it can affect anyone with ovaries at any age. It’s even possible to get ovarian cancer after you’ve had your ovaries removed.
Ovaries are the glands on either side of the uterus that produce and store eggs. Ovulation occurs when the ovaries release eggs and it’s believed that ovulating less lowers a person’s risk of ovarian cancer.
Pregnancy and menopause can prevent ovulation. Because of this, women who have their first full-term pregnancy before the age of 26 and those who have multiple pregnancies may slightly lower their risk of the disease.
However, some research has shown that using HRT during or after menopause may increase the risk of ovarian cancer. Although experts are still unsure why this happens.
Other conditions, like endometriosis or diabetes, may increase the risk of ovarian cancer, particularly for those who use insulin, but there are some things people can do to lower their risk of developing the disease.
Changes to lower your risk of ovarian cancer:
- Not smoking
- Having a healthy, balanced diet
- Exercising regularly
- Getting genetic testing or speaking to your GP if you’re worried about your risk
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