Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hello, I'm Norman Swan. Welcome to another Health Minute.
There's yet another reason to lose weight,
particularly if you're a woman,
particularly if you're over 50, past the menopause and obese.
The reason is that obesity is linked to an increased risk of the commonest
gynaecological cancer. That's cancer of the lining of the womb, also known
as uterine or endometrial cancer,
the endometrium being the lining of the uterus.
But 2000 Australian women are diagnosed with uterine cancer
each year and it's increasing along with the obesity epidemic.
The explanation is that fat tissue produces oestrogen
and oestrogen stimulates the lining of the uterus to grow and sometimes
tip over into malignancy.
The main symptom of uterine cancer is bleeding, unusual bleeding.
After menopause, it's any bleeding at all.
Before or during the menopause,
it's heavy, irregular or more frequent bleeding.
Other symptoms include discharge,
sometimes pain on passing urine and occasionally pain during sex.
Pap smears do not detect uterine cancer.
Your doctor may refer you for a special test called a transvaginal
ultrasound or, indeed, a biopsy.
The good news is that this is a potentially curable tumour, but why
not try to prevent it in the first place with exercise and weight loss?
The National Centre for
Gynaecological Cancers has fact sheets on this and other topics.
They're on Cancer Australia's website.