September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Do you know the warning signs?

 NuHealth Women's Care

Nassau University Medical Center

2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY 11554

www.nuhealth.net     516-572-5809

Most women know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What some aren’t familiar with is that September is National OvarianCancer Awareness Month, one of the most deadly of women’s cancers according the National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Coalition.

Doctors can often miss the warning signs of Ovarian Cancer, and can misdiagnose the illness 30-35% of the time (Bliss Tree). Each year, 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer (not including the ones that go misdiagnosed!), and 15,000 will die from the disease in the US alone (Bliss Tree). 

Unfortunately, the mortality rate of this disease has not improved in over 30 years, and many women don’t even seek help until it is too late. This is often the case because they don’t know the symptoms, or the symptoms are attributed to something else. If detected early, the five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is more than 93% (Bliss Tree). 

Know what warning signs to look for from this silent killer! Here are a few: bloating; pelvic or abdominal pain; difficult eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary urgency or frequency. Other signs can include nausea, lower back pain, fatigue and/or shortness of breath. 

Don’t dismiss any warning signs you may develop. Schedule an appointment with the NuHealth Womens Care facilities. Contact information and locations can be found on the NuHealth Women's Care Website.