Cancer is an unfortunate disease. Scientists are still looking for a definitive cure to all cancers. Year on year, we are getting a little closer to the answer, but for the meantime, preventing cancer should be a top priority.
Among the most common cancers known to us is the ovarian cancer (which affects only women, of course).
Ovarian cancer happens when abnormal cells in the ovary begin to multiply out of control and form a tumor.
The tumor can then spread to other parts of the body. If you don’t know what an ovary is yet, well, these are the two female reproductive glands that produce ova, or eggs. They also produce the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.
More than 22,000 women will receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis this year (2017), and 14,000 women will die from it. Unfortunately.
Ovarian cancer often has warning signs, but the earliest symptoms are vague and easy to dismiss. Twenty percent of ovarian cancers are detected at an early stage.
The Early Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer You Should Not Ignore
What are the early symptoms of ovarian cancer?
It’s easy to overlook the early symptoms of ovarian cancer because they’re similar to other common illnesses or they tend to come and go but the early symptoms include:
- abdominal bloating, pressure, and pain
- abnormal fullness after eating
- difficulty eating
- an increase in urination
- an increased urge to urinate
Ovarian cancer can also cause other symptoms, such as:
- fatigue
- indigestion
- heartburn
- constipation
- back pain
- menstrual irregularities
- painful intercourse
Remember that these symptoms might occur for a number of different other reasons and not due directly to ovarian cancer.
Many women have some of these problems at one time or another. If this is the case, then these types of symptoms are temporary and respond to simple treatments in most cases.
If the symptoms persist, however, it’s probably due to ovarian cancer. If this is the case, contact your doctor if you have one or more of these symptoms for a significant period.
Symptoms usually become more severe as the tumor grows. By this time, the cancer has usually spread outside of the ovaries. This makes it much harder to treat effectively.
