Some Early Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

Do you know the early symptoms of ovarian cancer? One out of seventy women will develop ovarian cancer, and if detected early, the survival rate is about ninety percent. Ovarian cancer can progress from stage to stage quickly, and it is even more aggressive than breast cancer, so it is important to identify this disease in it's early stages.

For a long time ovarian cancer was considered asymptomatic, and has been called the silent killer. Now we know it does have early symptoms. The problem is women often ignore them and physicians do not always recognize the potential urgency of evaluating the symptoms.

According to medical records of ovarian cancer patients, the most common symptom was cramping abdominal pain. In women diagnosed with Stage I and II ovarian cancer the most common symptoms were abdominal pain and urinary urgency, frequency or incontinence.

Patients in the later stages, Stage III and IV ovarian cancer, the most commonly documented symptoms were abdominal pain and increased abdominal girth. These symptoms are not considered unique to ovarian cancer or directly related to the reproductive pelvic organs such as the fallopian tubes, the uterus, or cervix and ovaries, therefore, the possibility of ovarian cancer is often overlooked with these early symptoms.

These early symptoms can indicate many conditions, not just ovarian cancer. Women should pay special attention if they have incontinence and abdominal pain that do not improve when treated. If a woman has been treated for abdominal, urinary or pelvic symptoms and the tests for the most common causes are negative, then more tests should be conducted and the possibility of ovarian cancer should be contemplated.

When the above symptoms are present and the doctor is unable to arrive at a clear diagnosis, then ovarian cancer must be considered. It will require a pelvic examination and ultrasound along with a blood test to ensure it is not present.

The urinary tract symptoms are usually due to the tumor pressing on the bladder, which causes an increased pressure inside the abdomen, resulting in urine loss. The symptom of abdominal pain more than likely is caused by pressure from the tumor or from fluid in the abdomen prompted by the tumor.

Women should be aware of the early symptoms of ovarian cancer. The symptoms are quite vague and can easily be mistaken for another disease.