World Ovarian Cancer Day: What are the symptoms of the disease?

Like every May 8, this Wednesday commemorates the World Ovarian Cancer Daya day that serves to raise awareness of a disease that is in the tenth place in incidence and mortality among all types of cancer, according to Globocan 2022 data.

Statistics indicate that 47% of deaths from gynecological cancer occurs in women with ovarian cancer. Furthermore, the risk of suffering from this pathology increases by 2% in those under 50 years of age and by 11% in those over 50.

What are the risk factors for ovarian cancer?

The doctor Clemente Arabhead of gynecological oncology at the Arturo López Pérez Foundation, explains that the main risk factors are:

• Menarche (first menstruation) at an early age.
• Menopause (end of menstrual cycles) at a later age.
• Genetic mutations.

“Both precocious puberty in girls, and the late arrival of menopause in adult women, are part of the triggers of this cancer. Most hereditary ovarian cancers are due to mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.“commented the specialist.

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There is no small obstacle to detecting these tumors, since there is no way of early diagnosis.

As a preventive measure, it is recommended that women take advantage of remove your fallopian tubes if you undergo benign gynecological surgery, such as removal of the uterus due to fibroids, for example; or if you decide to have your tubes tied as a method of surgical sterilization.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage because the symptoms are confused with those of other diseases.specifically with those that are digestive.

For this reason, the main problem is that its various ailments go unnoticed for years, until by ruling out all other possible pathologies, the diagnosis of this cancer is late.

To have greater protection, The main symptoms of ovarian cancer are the following:

• Abdominal pain and distension (swelling).
• Meteorism.
• Pelvic pain.
• Feeling of early satiety with meals.
• Constipation (defecating less and less).
• Nausea and vomiting.

Protective factors against ovarian cancer

There are some protective factors that, according to specialized studies, can influence the reduction of the risk of this cancer. Among them are those presented below:

• Hysterectomy (surgical removal of the entire uterus): reduced the risk by twenty% in women who underwent this operation.
• Use of oral contraceptives: reduced the risk in 50% or more in those who consumed it for 10 or more years.
• Salpingectomy (fallopian tube removal): decreased risk in 64% in patients who underwent this intervention.
• Lactation: decreased risk in 30% in patients who breastfed, compared to those who did not.
• Births: reduced the risk by 50% in those who had two births.

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