KNOW YOUR NORMAL!
This cancer has touched the lives of many who are close to me and it's easily misdiagnosed.I "stole" this from the Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation site, they have a great page on their site discussing Ovarian Cancer.
Risk Factors:
- Increased age – most women who develop ovarian cancer are over the age of 40, with the greatest numbers occurring over the age of 60
- Having a 1st degree relative (parents, siblings) with a history of ovarian cancer
- Personal history of breast cancer, uterine cancer, or colorectal cancer
- Personal history of endometriosis
- Positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene
- Never having given birth or having a history of fertility problems
- Eastern European or Ashkenazi Jewish background
The Most Common Symptoms:
- Bloating
- Pelvic or abdominal (belly) pain
- Trouble eating or feeling full quickly
- Urinary symptoms such as urgency (always feeling like you have to go) or frequency (having to go often)
Other symptoms include:
- Fatigue (extreme tiredness
- Upset stomach
- Back pain
- Pain during sex
- Constipation
- Changes in a woman's period, such as heavier bleeding than normal or irregular bleeding
- Abdominal (belly) swelling with weight loss
For more information on this disease please visit:
Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation
American Cancer Society
