Symptoms of ovarian cancer

Most women with early-stage cancer of the ovary don’t have any symptoms for a long time. This is because the symptoms can be quite vague or may not occur until the cancer is at a later stage. When symptoms occur they may include any of the following:

•  loss of appetite
•  vague indigestion, nausea, excessive gas (wind) and a bloated, full feeling
•  unexplained weight gain
•  swelling in the abdomen – this may be due to a build up of fluid (ascites), which can cause shortness of breath
•  pain in the lower abdomen
•  changes in bowel or bladder habits, such as constipation, diarrhoea or needing to pass urine more often
•  lower back pain
•  pain during sex
•  abnormal vaginal bleeding, although this is rare.

If you have any of the above symptoms it is important to have them checked by your doctor, but remember they are common to many other conditions and most women with these symptoms will not have cancer.