Signs of Ovarian Cancer

Unfortunately, the signs of ovarian cancer can be very vague, thereby leading doctors to often attribute these signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer to other health conditions.

Having said that, here are the most common signs of ovarian cancer:

- discomfort in the lower region of the abdomin
- back pain that becomes increasingly worse
- pelvic discomfort/pain/heaviness
- vaginal bleeding
- abnormal menstual cycles
- diminished appetite
- nausea
- expanding abdominal size/girth
- gastric distress
- feeling of bloating/indigestion
- increased need to urinate with greater frequency

It's important to reiterate that these signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer are unfortunately general and can often by attributed to various other health conditions.

Moreover, it is also the case that ovarian cancer does not exhibit any signs before it is detected.

Because of this, it's very important to know your family history...because certain factors have been shown to coincide with an increased or decreased risk for ovarian cancer.

For example, the risk for ovarian cancer is lower the more children a woman bears. Women who have their first pregnancy at an early stage also have a lower risk.

Increased risks of ovarian cancer seem to come from women who use fertility drugs and genetic factors...for example, it has been shown that women who have a history of breast cancer in their family history also have an increased chance of developing ovarian cancer.

Other personal history factors include: utermine and colon cancers which has a correlation with ovarian cancer risk.