Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and Southwest Washington

Symptoms

Symptoms

Trust your gut

Symptom awareness is a key to early detection of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer does have symptoms, but they are usually subtle and easily mistaken for other, more common problems. In some cases, early stage ovarian cancers produce symptoms, but in many women symptoms don’t show up until the cancer has advanced.

Women with ovarian cancer report that symptoms are persistent and represent a change from normal for their bodies. The frequency and/or number of such symptoms are key factors in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Several studies show that ovarian cancer can produce these symptoms:

  • Bloating
  • Pelvic or abdominal pain
  • Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
  • Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)

See your doctor, preferably a gynecologist, if you have these symptoms for more than two weeks, and the symptoms are new or unusual for you.

In 2007, OCRA and other leading cancer organizations endorsed a consensus statement on ovarian cancer symptoms.

As medical research continues to investigate this important issue, numerous studies have been published indicating that symptoms may not occur until late stage, or that symptom recognition may not improve health outcomes. OCRA believes that symptom recognition is extremely important, but symptoms are not a definitive diagnostic tool. Since there is no diagnostic tool for ovarian cancer, symptom awareness remains of key importance.  Being aware of symptoms can help women get diagnosed sooner. Early stage diagnosis is associated with an improved prognosis.

Other Symptoms Associated with Ovarian Cancer

Several other symptoms have been commonly reported by women with ovarian cancer. These symptoms include fatigue, indigestion, back pain, pain with intercourse, constipation and menstrual irregularities. However, these other symptoms are not as useful in identifying ovarian cancer because they are also found in equal frequency in women in the general population who do not have ovarian cancer.

This information has been taken with permission from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, https://ocrahope.org

Learning center

FAQ I had my ovaries removed – could I still get ovarian cancer? Technically, no; women who have their ovaries removed…
Read more »
More >
Glossary Abdomen: The area of the body that contains the pancreas, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, and other organs. Acupuncture: The technique of inserting…
Read more »
More >
CA 125 CA-125, which stands for “Cancer Antigen 125” is a protein that may be found in high amounts in the blood…
Read more »
More >
Diagnosis Detection No reliable screening or early detection tests exist for ovarian cancer. The Pap test does not test for ovarian cancer; it…
Read more »
More >
Risk factors Research has shown that certain risk factors increase the likelihood a woman may get ovarian cancer. Other factors may actually…
Read more »
More >
Symptoms Ovarian cancer does have symptoms, but they are usually subtle and easily mistaken for other, more common problems. In some cases,…
Read more »
More >
What is ovarian cancer? Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping, and spread into surrounding…
Read more »
More >

Take next steps

Complementary Medicine Many ovarian cancer survivors continue to explore the possibilities of complementary medicine as an adjunct to standard medical care. Examples…
Read more »
More >
Treatment The importance of being treated by a gynecologic oncologist cannot be stressed enough. According to numerous medical studies, there are significant survival…
Read more »
More >
Financial assistance resources American Cancer Society : Learn more about The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge® and other programs. CancerCare ; CancerCare is…
Read more »
More >
Clinical trials Clinical trials are biomedical research studies performed in people that follow a predefined set of procedures to test the safety…
Read more »
More >