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This is my speech I gave last Friday for my speech class.

Ovarian Cancer- It is YOUR life

According to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance ovarian cancer is the 8^{th most common cancer in the United States, the 5th leading cause of death in women, and the #1 leading cause of gynecological death. The symptoms of Ovarian Cancer are so few and so quiet that unless we as women pay attention to our bodies, we run the risk of suffering from a disease that if not diagnosed in the early stages, can ultimately take our lives from us.}

The number of women diagnosed in 2009 with ovarian cancer was 20,460. It seems like a relatively low number but in 2009 14,436 women died from this disease. It is projected that this year alone the number of cases diagnosed will be 22,240 while 14,030 will die. In the last 40 years the mortality rate has NOT improved as it has with other cancers. According to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance 1 in 72 women run the risk of developing invasive ovarian cancer and 1 in 95 women run the risk of dying from invasive ovarian cancer. These are odds aren’t very good.

The CDC lists the symptoms of ovarian cancer as abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge, pelvic pain or pressure, abdominal or back pain, bloating, persistent lack of energy and changes in bathroom habits such as constipation and frequent urination. It is easy to see how a woman can have any, or possibly all of these symptoms and shrug them off. These could be symptoms of anything, even a mainstream stomach virus.
Risk factors for ovarian cancer – Middle-aged or older, close family members, on either side, with a history of ovarian cancer, breast cancer or colorectal cancer, Eastern European Jewish background, have never given birth or have had trouble getting pregnant, have had endometriosis, and are obese. Having one of these risk factors doesn’t mean you will get ovarian cancer but also NOT having a risk factor doesn’t mean you will be fortunate enough to not have to face this disease.


While there has been huge advances made in detecting most cancers unfortunately there are no concrete screenings for Ovarian Cancer. There is a blood test, CA-125, that was hoped to be an ovarian cancer marker. While it does help to diagnose at times, and helps in the treatment of women already diagnosed, this cancer antigen protein can become elevated for a number of reason and so it isn’t the widely used as means to diagnose. Transvaginal ultrasounds, if a mass is suspected, can give Dr’s a view of the reproductive system, specifically the ovaries, and although there is a difference between a normal cyst and an abnormal cyst, a diagnosis of malignancy can’t be given with this test so even it isn’t 100% effective. The BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 test can help to give a woman a slight edge, because a woman who has the breast cancer mutation is also at a high risk of developing ovarian cancer but ultimately it is up to us women to listen to our bodies and push the issue if we are experiencing any of the symptoms.

While ovarian cancer is most common in women over the age of 40, women of any age, including young girls, can be diagnosed. However, per the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine, the majority of cases are diagnosed in women over the age of 45 with the median age being 63. Most cases of ovarian cancer are not diagnosed until Stage III or Stage IV. By this time, especially by Stage IV the survival rate is very low. When diagnosed at Stage I or Stage II the survival rate is 90%, however according to cancer.org, the American Cancer Society’s website, the survival rate for invasive ovarian cancer at Stage III is 34% and at Stage IV it drops to a scary 18%. 18%? This is should hardly be acceptable to a woman when it comes to her life.

But what can we do to improve our odds? The most important factor in diagnosis is listening to our bodies and our intuition. This is hard for us because as women we are faced with a million things we must do every day. Family, work, we have a tendency to ignore what our bodies are telling us. No matter our age, our income, or family status, we can wake one day with the possibility of ovarian cancer staring us in the face. I know this because I am there now. For months I have been having all of the symptoms I listed, and for months I found another reason as to what could be the cause for example I work out too much, I haven’t lost enough weight, I am eating more vegetables, stress and then one simple Dr’s visit changed everything. I went in trying to push the issue of being tired all of the time. After a transvaginal ultrasound the Dr ordered the CA-125 test. Two weeks later I was informed that there is a mass on my ovary and that my CA-125 levels are elevated. I was referred to a gynecological oncologist at UAB who will be performing surgery on Monday to find out for sure if the mass I have is cancer because unfortunately this is the only way to know for sure. The Dr is confident that if it is malignant I could have saved my own life. I pushed the issue of being tired all of the time, even though I attributed it to other reasons but because I pushed he went a little further and delved deeper. I urge ALL women, ALL of you, listen to your body and listen to your instincts this is the only way to absolutely give yourself a fighting chance. And if you are diagnosed, spread the word because in the end you may very well be saving a life of a friend, loved one or even a stranger.