When ovarian cancer warning signs mimic common medical conditions

Each year in the U.S., over 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 15,000 women die of this disease. These are staggering statistics, but the figures seem to be increasing from year to year, unfortunately, because women are not adequately informed about how to diagnose ovarian cancer warning signs.

The rest of this article is from a post I wrote recently on my blog. I have received positive comments about the content, because the facts are taken mainly from MayClinic and a study by the American Cancer Society - they are both very credible sources of information. So I decided I wanted to share with readers EzineArticles.

The blog entry is:

The warning signs of ovarian cancer can be difficult to detect in the early stages, because some of the most common symptoms such as indigestion and bloating may be indicative of a number of other medical conditions.

To avoiddiagnostic errors, keep in mind this simple rule:

If symptoms or signs are constant and appear to be only worse, then talk to your doctor immediately.

According Mayoclinic, recent studies show that women with ovarian cancer are more likely than other women to live in a consistent manner the following:

abdominal pressure, fullness, bloating or swelling
urinary urgency
Pelvic pain or discomfort

Other warning signs may occurthemselves in one of the following ways:

gas constant indigestion or nausea
unexplained changes in bowel habits such as constipation
Changes in bladder habits, including frequent urination
Loss of appetite or feeling full quickly
Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around the waist
Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
The constant lack of energy
Back pain
Changes in menstruation

The American Cancer Society reports that nearly 90%In a study of women who were diagnosed at an early stage, said they experienced one or more symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, pelvic or back pain. However, only 3% of women diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer reported no symptoms.

In addition, 55% of the total number of women studied had an accurate diagnosis within two months of onset of symptoms. Unfortunately, it took three to six months 19% of women, and more one year 11% of women to realize that, in fact, there were signs of ovarian cancer. In short, if the diagnosis is made, cancer has become more advanced.

In some cases, women with symptoms of delayed diagnosis of an average wait of two or three months before talking to their doctors, with 22% of women surveyed said they would ignore their symptoms, most because they were not aware of the symptoms may be due to> Cancer.

How to avoid a delay in diagnosis

It is said that prevention is better than cure, and the best thing you can do to avoid a late diagnosis is to support an annual pelvic examination. This not only confirms the common symptoms that sometimes often lead to misdiagnosis and validation of the warning signs of ovarian cancer, but rather a mindset that will help you live longer.