When to see a doctor about ovarian cancer
The NHS has said that ovarian cancer mostly affects women over the age of 50, but it can affect anyone who has ovaries. Sometimes the symptoms of ovarian cancer are not always obvious, and this is partly why cases of ovarian cancer are often diagnosed late.
It is important to get any symptoms of ovarian cancer checked as soon as possible. Finding it early can mean it is more treatable through surgery and chemotherapy or targeted medicines, radiotherapy and hormone treatments.
Symptoms of ovarian cancer include:
- having a swollen tummy or feeling bloated
- pain or tenderness in your tummy or the area between your hips
- no appetite or feeling full quickly after eating
- an urgent need to pee or needing to pee more often
Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can include indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea, back pain, feeling tired all the time, losing weight without trying and unusual bleeding from the vagina (including between periods, heavier periods or after the menopause). See a GP if you have any symptoms of ovarian cancer, or if you have previously seen the GP, and symptoms have not gone away, or are getting worse or more frequent.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
