Ovarian Cancer: Know the Symptoms

Only about 20% of ovarian cancers are found early, according to the American Cancer Society.

The main reason is the symptoms can be quite vague.

More than 21,000 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer this year, and almost 14,000 will die from it. It's the fifth deadliest cancer among women.

Age is a risk factor as about half of the women diagnosed are 63 or older.

According to Beman R. Khulpateea, M.D., a Fellowship-trained gynecologic oncologist in The Gynecologic Oncology Center at Mercy, it's often diagnosed later in the course of the disease because of subtle symptoms: "Some of the more common ones are abdominal bloating, urinary complaints, sometimes urinary frequency, sometimes difficulty urinating, people have bowel complaints, nausea, vomiting or difficulty eating large amounts of food, feeling full after a few bites."

Dr. Khulpateea added that women who have any of these symptoms that are persistent should talk to their doctor. A family history of breast or ovarian cancer are also big risk factors.

To view Mercy gynecologic oncologist Dr. Beman Khulpateea’s interview regarding ovarian cancer symptoms, click here.