The 7 red-flag symptoms of ovarian cancer – from bloating to back pain
Often symptoms are mistaken for IBS or PMS - and delaying in seeking help is killing too many women
ONE in five women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer too late to receive any kind of treatment.
In fact, just 20 per cent of patients find out they've got stage 4 cancer because symptoms are overlooked or they don't get tested in time.
Ovarian cancer is the biggest gynaecological killer of women in Britain, with the UK having some of the worst survival rates in Europe.
Which is why it's so crucial that we all know the symptoms - and we push for a diagnosis ASAP.
If you get diagnosed in the earliest stage, you've got a 90 per cent chance of surviving over five years.
That drops dramatically to 40 per cent by stage two, which is halved again a stage later.
By the final stage - at which so many women are diagnosed - you've got a 95 per cent chance of dying before those five years are up.
Time is everything.
March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and experts are hoping that over the next four weeks, more women will feel more confident about spotting signs.
Katherine Taylor, Chief Executive of Ovarian Cancer, told the : "Ovarian cancer is not as well known as other female cancers, yet it is the fifth most common, with a woman dying every two hours.
“This shocking statistic could be reduced if cases were diagnosed earlier and this will only happen if we can raise awareness.
"We want every woman to know the symptoms and to feel confident that they can speak to a well-informed doctor."
So with that in mind, here are the seven main signs you need to watch out for:
1. Bloating
Loads of us suffer from bloating on a regular basis but here, we're talking about chronic bloating that doesn't go away after you've had a poo or a few hours after eating.
2. Pain in your belly or pelvic area
Again, belly aches aren't uncommon but if you feel pain every day then that's an indication that something's up.
If you have tension in your stomach or pelvis which goes after passing wind or going to the loo, you might have something like IBS. With ovarian cancer, however, there's no physical release.
3. Feeling full quickly when eating
Changes in appetite are always worth getting checked out. If you normally demolish three good meals a day and suddenly find yourself struggling to eat half of your breakfast, something's not right.
4. Needing to pee more often
Drinking more water might make you run to the loo but when you're peeing more frequently for no apparent reason, it's worth getting checked out.
Needing to pee usually isn't a sign of ovarian cancer but could be a symptom of something else going on in the area.
5. Back pain
Like needing to pee more, there are any number of reasons why you might get lower back pain.
But if you have any of these other signs then you absolutely must go to see your GP as soon as you can.
6. Change in poo habits
Our poo tells us a lot about our health.
To know if anything changes, you have to be aware of what's natural for you. If you normally go for a poo once or twice a day and suddenly find yourself running to the loo five or six times, that's a sign that something is off.
The same applies if you struggle to go at all.
7. Unexplained weight loss
If you haven't been actively trying to lose weight and find that a couple of stone have suddenly fallen off, that's not a good sign.
Losing weight when you are not trying to is a very common symptom in people with cancer. It may be one of the reasons you first go to the doctor.
An unexplained weight loss of 10lbs or more may be the first sign of cancer.
Cancer Research UK says: "If you are not dieting and you lose more than 5 per cent of your normal weight in one month or 10 per cent in six months, your doctor will want to find out the cause.
"For example, if you normally weigh 10 stone (63.5 kg) and lose half a stone (3kg) in a month, or a stone (6kg) in six months that would need investigating.
"This may not seem like a lot of weight, but if you continue to lose weight at this rate, it could become a serious problem."
MORE ON OVARIAN CANCER
Many of the symptoms can be mistaken for IBS or PMS, which is why ovarian cancer is so hard to catch early on.
The key is being able to recognise what's normal for you.
As soon as you notice things changing, go to your GP.
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