Ovarian Cancer is a serious and under recognized threat to women's health.
Ovarian Cancer kills more women than all the other gynecologic cancers combined.
Ovarian Cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States.
Ovarian Cancer occurs in 1 in 57 women, up from 1 in 70 several years ago. 14,500 women will die this year alone. More than 25,500 will be diagnosed. *
 

Ovarian Cancer is very treatable when caught early; the vast majority of cases are not diagnosed until too late.
When Ovarian Cancer is caught before it has spread outside the ovaries, 90+% will survive 5 years.
Only 24% of Ovarian Cancer is caught early.
When diagnosed after the disease has spread the chance of five year survival drops to less than 25%.
 

Ovarian Cancer is difficult to diagnose.
As of this moment there is no reliable screening tool for ovarian cancer. The Pap smear only tests for cervical cancer.
Symptoms are often vague and easily confused with other diseases. However, new studies indicate that ovarian cancer has recognizable symptoms, even early stage disease. Knowing those symptoms can help save women's lives. (See Goff et al. Cancer 89:2068-75, 2000 and Eltabbakh et al. Gynecol Oncol 75:476-9, 1999.)
 

Raise your Awareness
Early recognition of symptoms is the best way to save women's lives. Early symptoms include:
Bloating, a feeling of fullness, gas
Frequent or urgent urination
Nausea, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea
Menstrual disorders, pain during intercourse
Fatigue, backaches
 

Most women experience one or more of these symptoms from time to time, and only rarely do they indicate ovarian cancer. And remember- if you have ovarian cancer, and it is caught early, survival chances are dramatically improved. Take action if any symptoms last more than 2-3 weeks.

What you should ask your doctor
While everyone has these symptoms occasionally, it is important to know your own body and know when something is not right.
If you have these symptoms and they are not normal for you.
Neither you nor your doctor knows why you are having them,
Then ask to have these tests to help you rule out Ovarian Cancer.
Bimanual pelvic exam
CA125 blood test (If it comes back elevated, ask your doctor to repeat this test monthly for several months. If it comes back progressively more elevated each time, even if the values are low, this is an indication that the condition could be serious.)
Transvaginal ultrasound

Who has the greatest risk?
Have 2 or more relatives who have had ovarian cancer
Have a family history of multiple cancers: ovarian, breast, or colon cancer
Were diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50
Have a personal history of multiple exposures to fertility drugs
Are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent
Have had uninterrupted ovulation (never used birth control pills or no pregnancies
Have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation
Are over the age of 50 (Please be aware that this statistical age means absolutely nothing!  If you have these symptoms, get tested NO MATTER WHAT YOUR AGE. Do not embrace statistics!)

For more information, visit The Johns Hopkins Ovarian Cancer Web site

* Please note that the author of this page believes that the number of OvCa cases is under stated. It would appear that since OvCa is mis-diagnosed so often that, in many cases, the cancer has spread to other organs and it is THAT cancer, be it of the liver, lungs or whatever is shown on the death certificate and that my dear friends, is where actuarial statistics are gathered!

What is an actuary?  Actuaries assemble and analyze data to estimate probabilities of an event taking place, such as death, sickness, injury, disability, or property loss. They also address financial questions, including those involving the level of pension contributions required to produce a certain retirement income level or how a company should invest resources to maximize return on investment in light of potential risk........................