One thing not far from many people’s minds is cancer. Most of us know someone who has or has had cancer touch them, which means we are all aware of how debilitating it can be. If you are interested in doing everything you can to stay informed, use this as a starting point to get familiar with ovarian cancer, the essential role of an ovarian cancer test, and get real about the risk factors of ovarian cancer. Information is the first step to making a positive life change. Ready? Let’s go.
Essential statistics about ovarian cancer
Let’s start with a few numbers to understand how prominent ovarian cancer is within UK society. Between the years 2016-2018, there were 1,495 cases diagnosed formally. This number is higher than in previous years. That doesn’t necessarily mean that more women have ovarian cancer, however. It could mean more women are staying on top of their health and regularly getting ovarian cancer testing.
Of the various ovarian cancer diagnoses, 11% are considered preventable. The suspected cause of their ovarian cancer could have been changed or prevented. This is why staying updated with ovarian cancer information is so important. We’ll talk about the risk factors a little bit later.
Symptoms of ovarian cancer
One of the tricky details of ovarian cancer is that its symptoms can be challenging to pinpoint. Many of them are things that we would attribute to “symptoms of life” or just being alive and living! However, some of the most common symptoms are listed below for you:
- Loss of appetite or a change in appetite
- Bloating (persistent)
- Stomach pain
- Pelvic pain
- Needing to wee often
- Unexpected vaginal bleeding
Since the symptoms of ovarian cancer can seem random or hard to spot, this is part of the reason why ordering an ovarian cancer test is so important. With sneaky symptoms, many patients don’t get a diagnosis early on. By trying an at-home test like this, you can get fast results that will tell you whether your readings are normal or abnormal. Abnormal results can prompt you to book an appointment with your GP, and they will help you figure out what to do next for more advance and personalised testing.
What causes ovarian cancer?
Just like with any cancer, there is a lot that we don’t know about where cancer comes from or why it appears in some but not others. Ovarian cancer has many risk factors, like many other types of cancer.
The main one right now is having the BRCA gene (aka the “cancer gene”). Experts also believe that having breast or bowel cancer in the past can increase your likelihood of getting ovarian cancer. There is also a link between those with diabetes having a stronger likelihood of getting ovarian cancer later in life.
Lastly, those who haven’t had a baby or have started periods young in their life are also at a higher risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
As you can see, some ovarian cancer risk factors are gene-related, and others are more about lifestyle or choices. As more information becomes available in the future, this will change further to get more refined data.
How to prevent ovarian cancer
While you can’t do anything to guarantee that you won’t get ovarian cancer in life, there are some great things you can do to help keep the risk as low as possible. In general, you can consider quitting smoking and staying a healthy weight. These general health tips will keep your body strong and healthy to be your strongest self.
Another great option to consider is being on birth control. Since this prevents eggs from dropping to prevent pregnancy, it also helps lower your risk of ovarian cancer. Similarly, a more drastic option would be to consider removing your ovaries. Those with a family history of ovarian cancer and/or dealing with other kinds of cancer will find this helpful.
Lastly, you’ll seriously want to consider an ovarian cancer test. Since it is convenient, private, and can give you peace of mind, this is a great way to stay on top of your health at your own pace and on your schedule. You can also consider asking your GP to have you booked for regular blood tests and other specialised tests if you prefer a personalised approach.
More and more data is becoming available about ovarian cancer and how it impacts UK women of all ages. That means there is never a better time to get a bit more familiar with the specifics of what it is, how it occurs, and what you can do to prevent it as much as possible!