Most of us have had a few weeks when the belly stayed swollen and nothing fit right. Or a stretch when the bathroom felt further and further away. We blame a big meal, hormones, a stressful week.
In women later diagnosed with ovarian cancer, those same everyday signs often began months earlier.
A survey of 1,725 women with ovarian cancer in the journal Cancer found that 95 percent had symptoms before diagnosis. Most had been told it was something else.
The American Cancer Society flags four core warning signs. They are bloating, pelvic or belly pain, trouble eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary urgency or frequency.
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The ACS tells women to watch for symptoms that are new, persistent, and happen more than 12 times a month.
Below are eight everyday signs the American Cancer Society lists for ovarian cancer. None on its own means cancer.
But if any of them is new for you and shows up almost daily for more than two weeks, call your doctor this week.
1. Bloating that will not settle
A belly that stays swollen for days or weeks, and does not ease after a bowel movement, is the symptom women with ovarian cancer most often describe first.
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Occasional bloating from a big meal is normal. Bloating that lingers day after day, or that visibly changes the size of the abdomen, is not.
2. Pelvic or lower-belly pain
A dull ache or pressure in the pelvis or lower abdomen that keeps coming back is one of the four core symptoms. It can feel like period cramps even when a period is not due.
3. Feeling full after just a few bites
Eating a normal meal becomes hard because the stomach feels full almost immediately. Doctors call this early satiety. New loss of appetite that lasts more than a week or two deserves attention.
4. Needing to pee more often or more urgently
A sudden change in how often or how urgently you need to urinate, with no obvious bladder infection, is another core symptom. It can feel like a bladder infection that never fully clears.
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5. Lasting fatigue
Extreme tiredness that does not improve with sleep is listed as one of the other symptoms women with ovarian cancer often report. It is vague on its own, but combined with the four core signs it matters.
6. Back pain that will not go away
Nagging lower back pain that is new, and that does not match a usual sore-muscle or old-injury pattern, can be a sign. It becomes more concerning when it comes with bloating or pelvic pressure.
7. Changes in your period or any bleeding after menopause
Heavier bleeding than normal, bleeding between periods, or any vaginal bleeding after menopause are on the American Cancer Society list. Any new bleeding after menopause needs same-week medical attention.
8. New constipation or upset stomach
Ongoing constipation or a stomach that feels off most days, in someone who is not usually prone to it, is on the list. It is one of the signs most often read as irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.
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When to call your doctor
Pay attention to how new, how often, and how long. The American Cancer Society's rule of thumb is any of the four core symptoms (bloating, pelvic pain, feeling full quickly, urinary urgency) happening more than 12 times a month.
If any of these are new for you and happen almost daily for more than two weeks, ask for a same-week evaluation.
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This article is made and published by Mie Hermansen, who may have used AI in the preparation.