Ovarian Cancer

Question: ovarian cancer? I have been really worried and i am going to have bld tests. My problem is I havent had a period in 3 months and my lower pelvic region aswell as back is just aching severly. I am only 26 yrs old and the doctor is running tests for all types of things. I am curious if anyone on here knows first hand on symptoms of early ovarian cancer. I keep hearing that you cant get it unless your over 40...is it possible to get cancer at a young age? I know I will find out sooner or later what is wrong but I just feel like talking about it with ppl who may have some insight.

Answer: I am 32, and last year I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. I had extensive surgery, but no treatments. I am doing well. My symptoms were heavy bleeding constantly and lower back pain. Check out the eyesontheprize website and Mayo clinic for ovarian cancer. I wish you the best. I know it is scary, but statistics are in your corner.

Question: Ovarian cancer? I was wondering, I've been having some weird bladder symptoms lately (no UTI, they did a test and a culture and its' negative) i feel like i still have to go when i just went, and i looked up ovarian cancer and saw that problems were indeed a symptom. I'm having no other symptoms besides these (I have oral thrush that won't go away but I don't know if this has anything to do with that) my periods have been normal, and i was thinking if you have ovarian cancer aren't your periods screwed up cause like it has to pass through your ovaries? does anyone know?

Answer: Most common symptoms of ovarian cancer: -Pain in lower abdomen -Bleeding from the vagina - Weight gain or loss - Abnormal periods -Unexplained back pain that gets worse -Gas, nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite However, ovarian ca is usually silent; there's no definitive diagnostic test, so sometimes patients present at a late stage. From what you describe as your symptoms--urinary urgency , it seems likely that your bladder or kidneys (stones) are the underlying cause. Your MD should have a full workup for you.

Question: ovarian Cancer? Hello. my best friend was just diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. She is 17 and i dont no what i can do to help her. She has been in so much pain for the last 2 months but the doctors had told her it was probably just a kidney infection. When she called me last night too tell me she was brave and didnt cry at all. today she goes in for her second suregery. Im scared and i cant stop crying i know that this is selfish of me but i dont no what else i can do. I read all the facts and everything and they call it "the Killer" shes 17 which is rare that she has it but she does and im afraid that i might lose my best friend! does anyone have advice that i can give her too calm down, please?

Answer: Ovarian cancer often isn't diagnosed right away because the symptoms are often mistaken for some other cause and that is especially true for your friend. Your friend is young and healthy and that is definitely in her favor. All you can do at this point is to be there for her and let her know that she can talk to you about anything. It's okay to cry...that's a natural reaction to hearing devastating news such as this. When you go to the hospital to visit her...bring some magazines or a laptop computer for her to use. There are some great on line support groups that she might want to check out. Good luck to you and your friend.

Question: How early should ovarian cancer be detected? If ovarian cancer is detected early, there is a greater chance of treating it and better prognosis. How soon after the cancer first begins does it have to be detected? Are we talking days, weeks, months?

Answer: I always thought is was undetectable. FYI, It is unknown what percentage of early-stage ovarian cancer produces symptoms. The vast majority of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer do experience symptoms. However, since most of these women are diagnosed in more advanced stages, it's impossible to tell how many of them had symptoms before the cancer started to spread. It IS known that 90% of women who are diagnosed in Stage I come to their doctors with symptoms before diagnosis, and also that far too many cases of ovarian cancer take months to diagnose - a recent study showed that almost half took more than three months, and 11% took longer than a year. So it seems logical to assume that some substantial percentage of women do have early symptoms. - The common symptoms are non-specific - usually caused by other things. The list below contains a number of possible symptoms of ovarian cancer. But these symptoms can also result from a wide variety of non-cancerous conditions. If a woman has trouble zipping up her jeans, she's more likely to blame middle-aged spread than ovarian cancer. Thankfully, a gas pain isn't ordinarily a dire signal. Still, if a woman suddenly starts experiencing any of the symptoms below, and they persist for more than a 2-3 weeks, she should get those symptoms checked out. - There is no one "marker symptom". Although abdominal swelling/bloating is the most often-mentioned first symptom, some studies show that even this is true only for a minority of ovarian cancer cases. Because each symptom will affect only some women, it is vital that women educate themselves about the whole constellation of symptoms associated with ovarian cancer. - Denial. Of course, no one wants to think about cancer. But think about this: The lifetime risk of women worldwide for ovarian cancer is 1 in 70. In the U.S. it is 1 in 55. Think about your high school graduating class. Your church. Your workplace. The numbers of women you know. How many of them are likely to get ovarian cancer? OVARIAN CANCER IS NOT RARE. Women MUST begin to educate themselves about this insidious disease. WARNING SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER Contact your MD if you develop one or more of these symptoms and they persist for 2-3 weeks: -Abdominal Swelling/Bloating/Clothes Too Tight -Abdominal/Pelvic Pain or Pressure or Feeling "Full" -Gastrointestinal Symptoms (such as gas, indigestion, nausea, or changes in bowel movements) -Vaginal Bleeding or Discharge -Urinary Problems - Urgency, Burning, or Spasms -Fatigue and/or Fever -Pain During Intercourse -Back Pain -Difficulty Breathing

Question: How do i set up a fundraiser for ovarian cancer? I am 19 and my grandma has ovarian cancer. I want to do a car show in a parking lot or park or somewhere like that. I want to have a donation bucket to raise money and give it to an organization that supports ovarian cancer. How should i go about starting this? Where do i start? And any helpful tips?

Answer: You should contact an organization that is already founded and active. Fundraisers and drives are always in the making and in action. You can generate more money and you can get all of the tools you need from the your community organizers or organization headquarters. There's no reason for you to 'pioneer' your own fundraiser when there are already many out there. IF you absolutely are stubborn and you want to feel the rewards from just getting out and doing something or putting a donation jar at a store or event then you simply go to the place that you want to place it at and tell them your story. One of the first questions you will confront is: Who are you affilliated with? If you haven't researched or contacted organizations then you can't simply say you are affilliated with them. Well, you can but if they aren't aware of this you can be arrested for fraud. AND, some places won't accept non verifiable legitimacy (your word) as a precursor to accepting donations. Research or google ovarian cancer. If you want to help your grandmother with money for her medical bills then the best thing for you to do is to connect her with an existing donor base. There are millions of people who need help and help is out there; you just have to find it.

Question: What happens in the 4th stage of ovarian cancer How long is life expectancy in this final stage? My best friend is in stage 4 of ovarian cancer. She has hospice at her house. It seems to me, that she only has a few weeks left to live. Can she continue to live for 3 or 4 more months? Or does it depend of the individual person? Her cancer has spread to many of her organs.

Answer: This link provides the information and statistics. It's very much of a downer. I am sorry you have this misfortune.

Question: What are the symptoms for ovarian cancer? i'm under 20 years old and have done some research and think i have some of the symptoms for ovarian cancer. can anyone tell me some of them to see if i might have it?

Answer: If you think anything, go get it checked out. My friend died in high school of ovarian cancer. She died one year from being diagnosed. Go Go Go

Question: What is the life expectancy of a person that has ovarian cancer? A friend of mine has ovarian cancer and, is in remission. She's had some chemo-therapy but has stopped, she's also refused to take the meds to keep it at bay. And because the chemo, she's now anemic. Can anybody tell me what her life expectancy is? she doesn't want me to be too concerned about it either----how should I cope with her indifferent attitude about her condition, especially since I love & care about her so much?

Answer: it depends on the treatment taken and the severity of it i had it but caught it in time it is hard to say you will have to consult a doctor and see what level you are at

Question: If you were diagnosed with breast cancer, is the chance of you getting ovarian cancer high? Also, what would you need to do to ensure that you don't have ovarian cancer?

Answer: Well many in my family were diagnosed with breast cancer and after 5 years of being a survivor, my sister developed ovarian cancer but it had nothing to do with breast cancer. Tumors will show breast cancer cells if it metastasizes. So, the chances are not higher. Be blessed

Question: Can ovarian cancer be caused by enviornmental factors? I know three women who worked in the same room of a building. Over time, two died of ovarian cancer, and one had cancer throughout her body. Could this have to do with their work environment? Also: Some workers in the same building have had respiratory issues, and one has Mitochondrial Disease. Could all of these be related in some way, and could they all be due to the environment? The building is around 60 years old, and the majority of affected workers are women, if that makes a difference.

Answer: 90% of all cancers are idiopathic, meaning their cause is unknown and unknowable. The incidence of "cancer clusters" near toxic waste dumps and other environmental hazards is well documented. Three people working in the same room of a building seems like an unlikely cancer cluster. The pattern of a cancer cluster would be for an entire large building or neighborhood to be effected.

Question: What is the difference in ovarian cancer and PCOS? I have been diagnosed with PCOS, but I still don't know all of the details, but when I was looking on google for some information I noticed that the ribbons for pcos awareness are the same color as the ones for ovarian cancer. Are the two linked? Does PCOS lead to ovarian cancer?

Answer: They aren't sure at this time. PCOS does cause the cysts on your ovaries but they haven't had any studies show that it is linked with ovarian cancer. Sometimes they just run out of colors so they will use the same color for more than 1 illness. I went to a website that had 5 things listed for some of the colors and none of them were linked. I will say the OBGYN that diagnosed me with PCOS was honest with me and told me that they are studying the link with Ovarian, Uterine and Breast Cancers because of the hormone risks and the cysts on the ovaries and the irregular periods but that no link has been found yet. They have found that having the Cysts surgically removed which they use to do often, increases the risks of ovarian cancer. Another thing PCOS puts you at higher risk for is heart problems and diabetes according to studies done.

Question: What is the prognosis w/ recurrent ovarian cancer and ascites? My grandmother, who is 83 years old, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer over two years ago. She has been stage 4 once, back to stage 2, and now back to stage 4. She has extreme abdominal swelling and pain (ascites). She had 6 quarts of fluid taken off her stomach 3 weeks ago, and 8 more quarts taken off two days ago. Her stomach has already begun swelling again. She can not take certain types of chemo because her esosphagus has been damaged. She was supposed to get chemo intraveneously yesterday, but the doctor would not allow it because she did not look well enough. My grandparents are old school and do not question the doctor on anything, so we have no idea how long she may have to live. Does anybody have any experience with a prognosis, life expectancy, quality of life? She is a Christian, she is ready to go to the Lord, but she continues to have procedures (parencentesis) done because her husband is not ready to let her go.

Answer: A paracentesis will not make your granmother live longer, it will just make her more comfortable. She can breathe easier and sleep better if the fluid is removed. Problems is it comes back as quickly as it is removed and then creates electrolyte imbalances and literally dehydrates her. Sounds ridiculous, but its true. Most doctors leave the huge amount of fluid there and remove it only to make her comfortable. Her husband is going to need a lot of support from your family since her days are numbered. Peace and Gods love to your grandma, grandpa and family. RN

Question: What are the early symptoms of ovarian cancer? I also heard that abnormal bleeding is an important symptom. Is it possible to have ovarian cancer symptoms without the abnormal bleeding?

Answer: None. Ovarian cancer is well known for having no symptoms at all until its advanced.

Question: What is the cause of bloating with ovarian cancer? My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer yesterday. We need to go see gyn oncologist to determine how far advanced the disease has progressed.

Answer: Dear Julia, Ovarian Cancer is prevalent in my family and hopefully it stopped at me. My mother was diagnosed with stage 3 Ovarian cancer in 1991. She passed away in 1998, but fought so hard. I really do not want to go into detail on YA. My mother's sister passed away from Ovarian cancer as well as their mother, my grandmother. Please contact me if you so desire through my email on YA. I could not contact you. If you need someone to talk to I will give you my email and we can chat. I have much experience in what the symptoms look like because of my mother. Hang in there and continue to lift your mother. Peace to you both. Mudslinger

Question: I have a history of ovarian cancer in my family, is it alright for me to get Gardasil vaccinations? My mother died of ovarian cancer when she was 52, I feel like I would be at high risk to get cancer later on in life. Is there any possibility that Gardasil is counter indicative to ovarian cancer? Thanks.

Answer: cervical, not ovarian. but i'd get it any way...why not?

Question: Is it possible for someone who is 27 to have ovarian cancer? Is it possible for someone who is 27 to have ovarian cancer? I look at all the info on ovarian cancer and it constantly talks about going through menopause, being over 40, and things of that nature but nothing that says you can be as young as 27 and have it. Also have not had any kids and all the symptoms and signs are there. Would just like to know if it is possible.

Answer: Hey, I had ovarian cancer at the age of 25. When it was discovered it was in stage 2 level A. So, I tell everyone to go and get checked out.