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I'm Sadaf Ghaem-Maghami. I'm a consultant gynaecological oncologist at Imperial College
NHS Trust in London. Ovarian cancer is more common in women over
the age of 50 so about 80% of ovarian cancers occur in women over the age of 50, usually
after the menopause. However, it can occur in younger women particularly if they have
a family history of two or more close relatives who have had breast or ovarian cancer.
There are a range of symptoms that women present with when they are diagnosed with ovarian
cancer. They are not usually very specific. You may feel bloated or feel full quite quickly
when you eat. There may also be pain in the tummy, lower back or during sex. You may get
symptoms of bladder or bowel habit change. For example, you might find that you are passing
urine more frequently or having to go to the toilet more urgently. You might feel that
you have constipation or diarrhoea. There may be a change in weight, either weight gain
or weight loss which is unexplained and there may be unexplained tiredness.
Some women may get only one or two of these symptoms and some might find they get a combination.
Women usually know their own bodies very well so if there is anything that is worrying you,
for example if the symptoms are severe, recent onset or particularly if they are persistent
then you should go and see your GP to check this out.
When you go to see your GP, he or she is likely to ask you more questions and examine you.
You might like to keep a diary either in your diary or on a sheet of paper with the date
and what symptom you have had and possibly even how severe it was. There may be a collection
of symptoms you are having so it would be quite useful to log them all down. Then you
may need to have tests. They may decide to refer you to a specialist, say someone like
me, to do tests and make a diagnosis. It may be nothing sinister, but it is important you
get them checked out.