Ovarian Cancer is no respector of age. Young women in their teens, early twenties, and older have been known to contact this disease. Although ovarian cancer is curable if diagnosed early, it remains the most lethal gynecologic cancer because it is so difficult to detect. There is no early detection method for ovarian cancer. Don't be mistaken ... a PAP test is used to detect cervical cancer. It very rarely detects ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological malignancies in the United States. The survival rate of women diagnosed with early-stage ovarian cancer is higher than those with advanced-stage, however most women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. The lifetime risk of women developing ovarian cancer increases according to the number of first-degree family members who have had ovarian cancer. Epidemiologic data has established that woman's lifetime risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer is approximately 1 in 70 . The relative risk for a woman with a single first-degree relative with ovarian cancer is estimated as being 3.6 times that of the general population (1 in 20).

• Discomfort in the lower abdomen.
• Abdominal swelling and/or pain; bloating and/or a feeling of fullness.
• Vague but persistent gastrointestinal complaints such as gas, nausea, indigestion.
• Frequency and/or urgency of urination. Also frequent urinary tract infections.
• Constipation
• Menstrual disorders such as abnormal bleeding or postmenopausal bleeding.
• Unexplained tiredness and fatigue.
• Pain during intercourse.
• Loss of appetite
• Stomach "blows up" and you look like you are suddenly pregnant.
• Shortness of breath/difficult breathing.
• Unexplained weight loss and/or weight gain.

DO NOT DISCOUNT YOUR FEELINGS OF DIS-EASE!

To date, no screening test have been shown to be effective. Often there are no symptoms in the early stages and in many cases, the cancer has spread by the time it is found. Therefore, it is important for women NOT to discount their feelings of disease, but to pay attention to vague symptoms that persist longer than the length of time it would take for a normal flu (3 to 4 weeks) to subside.

For future use, I recommend that you take the time to print out the above symptoms and keep them in a place where you can review them on a regular basis.