Ovarian Cancer: Are You at Risk?

Ovarian cancer kills almost 15,000 women every year — and yet, it remains a silent killer because early symptoms are often too subtle to notice. Lifescript Women’s Health Expert Janet Horn, M.D., answers the most common questions about how to prevent and detect the potentially fatal disease. Plus, what really causes cancer? Take our myth versus fact quiz…

1. I’ve heard ovarian cancer referred to as “the silent killer.” Why?
Ovarian cancer doesn’t usually cause symptoms in its early stages, so it’s most often found in later phases when it's less curable. If it does cause early symptoms, such as urinary troubles, abdominal pain or bloating, they're often associated with other common illnesses and ignored.

But there's good news: Many experts now believe that ovarian cancer is no longer a silent killer because more women are aware of the disease and seek help at early stages. Women are also being diligent about routine pelvic exams.

2. What are its symptoms?
The most common include abdominal swelling or bloating, a feeling of pressure or pain in the pelvic area, abdominal pain, problems with eating or feeling full too quickly, and urinary symptoms such as having to go frequently or urgently.

Other symptoms include constipation, pain during sex, bleeding between periods or a change in your cycle, back pain, upset stomach or fatigue.

However, these symptoms can be common and are often caused by less serious conditions than ovarian cancer, so it's easy to ignore them.

If you have these symptoms, ask yourself these important questions:

Is this a change for me or have I had this symptom off and on for years? For example, if you’ve had problems with constipation intermittently for years, it’s probably not due to ovarian cancer -- unless it has lasted longer than usual and/or doesn’t respond to usual remedies.

Does this symptom persist or come and go? If you get bloated every time you eat a certain food and it goes away, then the bloating probably isn’t related to ovarian cancer. Learn more about bloating versus ovarian cancer.

How long have I had it? If your constipation, abdominal pain or pelvic fullness has lasted longer than a week, see your doctor.