1. Ovarian Cancer Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Ovarian Cancer Quiz
3. 15 Cancer Symptoms Women Ignore Slideshow

Medical Author:

Robert P Edwards, MD

Coauthor:

Jana M Lee, MD

Coauthor:

Paul Blackburn, DO, FACOEP, FACEP

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Lee P Shulman, MD

Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose because symptoms often do not occur until late in the disease. Symptoms do not occur until the tumor has grown large enough to apply pressure to other organs in the abdomen, or until the cancer has spread to remote organs. The symptoms are nonspecific, meaning they could be due to many different conditions. Cancer is not usually the first thing considered in a woman having symptoms.

The only early symptom of the disease is menstrual irregularity. Symptoms that come later include the following:

• Pelvic pain or pressure
• Pain with intercourse
• Abdominal swelling and bloating
• Urinary frequency
• Constipation
• Ascites - Collection of fluid in the abdomen, contributing to abdominal distension and shortness of breath
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling full after eating little
• Gas and/or diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abnormalities in menstruation, pubertal development, and abnormal hair growth (with tumors that secrete hormones)

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