8 early signs of ovarian cancer, from the most obvious to the most subtle

There are three main forms of the disease: when separating, it is taken into account which cells turn into cancer cells.

The tumor can affect one or both ovaries and also give metastases that spread throughout the body. But in about 20% of cases, doctors manage to detect the disease at an early stage, before it even begins to progress. With early detection, a woman’s attentive attitude to herself and her body is of particular importance. This is true for all other forms of cancer, such as breast cancer.

Here are 8 warning signs of ovarian cancer that should not be ignored even if they seem normal and not at all suspicious. They appear earlier than other characteristic symptoms of ovarian tumors, but even if the disease has quite pronounced manifestations, it is often ignored.

The main symptom that occurs in most women with early-stage ovarian cancer is bloating. Many women notice that their stomach is constantly bloated, neither diet correction, nor medication that reduces gas formation, nothing helps.

As the tumor grows, the belly often also grows – often people around suspect that a woman is pregnant, and she herself associates changes in her condition with something other than cancer. It often takes several months before the cause is discovered.

In general, people rarely associate such a change with cancer, they begin to look for the cause in metabolic disorders and something else, but they do not immediately think of oncology or never think about it.

Many women who have lived through ovarian cancer find that satiety has come too quickly: they only had a salad or yogurt to eat, and the usual portions suddenly became very large for them.

The reason, as in the case of bloating, lies in the increase in the size of the tumor and the formation of ascites – the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Because of this, the body considers that the stomach is full and gives the brain a signal of satiety.

In a context of rapid saturation, the portions consumed by women are becoming smaller and smaller. The weight decreases, the stomach increases and, in addition, there are a lot of problems with digestion.

Some complain of severe heartburn, others experience constipation, and others develop diarrhea. It is not possible to correct digestion with nutrition, but many attribute this condition to age-related changes or even to the fact that they have started buying food elsewhere.

Many women may confuse the first signs of ovarian cancer with cramps that occur during menstruation. Menstrual cramps and cramps are an unpleasant, but quite common thing for some women, and therefore attention to this sign is not immediately noticed. Growing ovarian tumors cause pain in the lower abdomen – just like during menstruation, other signs also coincide. It is especially difficult to notice a disorder if the cycle is irregular or if a woman is entering menopause, but the appearance of “off-schedule” abdominal cramps should certainly be cause for examination.

The onset of severe back pain is another warning sign that may be associated with ovarian cancer. Sometimes the pain becomes so intense that it interferes with sleep, and the usual painkillers from the pharmacy cannot cope with this.

Back pain is rarely associated with cancer. The most common hypotheses are kidney problems or, for example, osteochondrosis. If the pain intensifies, is not relieved by painkillers and requires more and more doses, this is in any case a reason for examination. Ovarian cancer may turn out to be a discovery quite expected by doctors in such a situation. There is only one conclusion: if there is severe pain, it is not necessary to endure, but it is necessary to be thoroughly examined as soon as possible.

We tend to think that we often go to the bathroom because of UTIs. This is indeed a common reason, but, unfortunately, far from the only one. For some women, this symptom is one of the first signs of ovarian cancer.

Frequent urination is not always associated with oncology, it happens that the diagnosis is preceded by unnecessary treatment for non-existent cystitis. Frequent urination with ovarian cancer may be because a growing tumor can put pressure on the ureters.

This symptom is usually not missed, and the appearance of blood outside of menstruation is always frightening. This is a rare but noticeable sign. With ovarian cancer, it may not be episodic drops of blood, but the real “pseudo-monthly” – heavy discharge that lasts for several days. They are more common in stromal ovarian cancer, which is inherently rare.

Any bleeding outside the schedule or strange periods should be the reason to go to the doctor and examine: it is better if, after analysis and examinations, it turns out to be a variant of the norm that the symptom will be ignored with the already developing cancer.

Photo: Shutterstock, illustration by STUART BRADFORD