Cancer is a disease wherein a malignant growth develops, often resulting from an uncontrollable division of abnormal cells. Ovarian cancer is the malignant tumor of the ovaries, the female reproductive organs that produce ova or eggs.

Ovaries produce female hormones estrogen and progesterone that regulate the sexual and menstrual cycle and support reproductive development, respectively. Ovarian cancer often goes unnoticed until the tumor spreads within the pelvis and the abdomen, leading to severe complications.

There are several warning signs of ovarian cancer, but early detection is pretty vague and accounts for only twenty percent, as the signs are often easily dismissed or mistaken for another condition. When left untreated, the malignant cells can spread to other body parts, leading to metastatic ovarian cancer. It’s highly recommended to visit the doctor if the symptoms of ovarian cancer, as seen below, persist for over two weeks.

But before looking at the symptoms of ovarian cancer, here are the types of the disease that one should also know about.

• Epithelial tumors develop over the thin layer of tissue covering the ovaries. This accounts for nearly 90% of ovarian cancers.
• Stromal tumors begin in the tissues of hormone-producing cells and are diagnosed early.
• Germ cell tumors start in the egg-producing cells and are rare, and mostly seen in younger women.

The warning signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer
Most of the symptoms associated with ovarian cancer tend to show up in the later stages, as the various organs of the body begin to malfunction. Sometimes, detection, even at advanced stages, is unclear as the signs can be easily confused with common health concerns like constipation.

Here are the most common symptoms of ovarian cancer you should not ignore, especially if these conditions don’t seem to go away:

• Vaginal bleeding or abnormal vaginal discharge you haven’t experienced before
• A change in bathroom habits like the urge to urinate more frequently that is not normal or chronic constipation that doesn’t improve
• Pressure or pain in the lower back or in the pelvic area
• Unexplained weight loss
• Changes in your menstrual cycle
• Unexplained exhaustion or fatigue
• Painful sex
• Bloating, indigestion, stomach upsets with nausea 
• Feeling full too quickly or loss of appetite
• Increased abdominal girth or abdominal swelling

A combination of these symptoms of ovarian cancer can also occur for other health conditions.

When to visit the doctor?
You should visit the doctor if most of the symptoms of ovarian cancer are:

• New to you
• Continuing for more than several times in a month
• Persisting even after making lifestyle changes like exercising, diet, and others

The risk factors of ovarian cancer
It’s difficult to detect the exact cause of ovarian cancer, but the following factors can increase the risk of developing one:

• A family history of breast, colon, uterine or ovarian cancer
• No history of pregnancy
• Certain genital mutations
• Obesity
• Suffering from Lynch syndrome
• Consuming certain fertility and hormone medications
• Some gynecological conditions like endometriosis