Do you know the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer?
- Persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes
- Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
- Pelvic or abdominal pain (that’s your tummy and below)
- Urinary symptoms (needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual)
Occasionally there can be other symptoms:
- Changes in bowel habit (eg diarrhoea or constipation)
- Extreme fatigue (feeling very tired)
- Unexplained weight loss
- Any bleeding after the menopause should always be investigated by a GP
Symptoms will be:
- Frequent – they usually happen more than 12 times a month
- Persistent – they don’t go away
- New – they’re not normal for you
Worried about your tummy symptoms?
If you regularly experience any one or more of these symptoms, which aren’t normal for you, it’s important that you book an appointment with your GP. It’s unlikely that your symptoms are caused by a serious problem, but it’s important to get checked out. Take a look at our top tips for speaking to your GP click link below.
https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/about-ovarian-cancer/symptoms/top-tips-speaking-your-gp
Ovarian cysts in pre-menopausal women can produce symptoms similar to those for ovarian cancer but they aren’t known to increase the risk of ovarian cancer.
Watch a video here https://youtu.be/bBQrgYiKvN0
Other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have symptoms similar to ovarian cancer but if your symptoms don’t clear up, go back to your GP or seek a second opinion, even if you’ve had tests.
Log your symptoms in a diary, see your GP
Download our symptoms leaflet https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-07/Target_Ovarian_Cancer_symptoms_leaflet_1.pdf to find out more (available in other languages).