Most women get some symptoms in the early stages of ovarian cancer but they're not always picked up. That's because they are quite common symptoms that are usually signs of something else. So ovarian cancer isn't usually found until later on when it has spread, which makes it harder to cure.

You won't be able to tell if your symptoms are due to something harmless (such as indigestion) or cancer. So you need to get them checked out by a doctor, even though there's a good chance there's nothing wrong.

The symptom most strongly associated with ovarian cancer is an enlarged abdomen (called abdominal distension). This means your abdomen gets bigger and doesn't get smaller again. Some women call this bloating, although bloating usually comes and goes (for example, if you have wind). If you have an enlarged abdomen, you may notice your clothes getting tighter round the waist. However, it's not about getting fat around your middle, but about the area below the fat getting larger.

A recent good-quality study found that out of every 100 women who went to their GP with an enlarged abdomen, 2 or 3 had ovarian cancer.^[1] So it's really important to see your doctor if you have this symptom.

Here are some other symptoms you should get checked out:

• Bloating in your abdomen

• Feeling full soon after you start eating

• Losing weight without trying

• Feeling sick and getting indigestion

• Having a pain in your pelvis (the part of your abdomen between your hips)

• Getting constipation or diarrhoea

• Having to urinate more often than usual

• Having backache

• Getting swollen ankles

• Having a lump in your abdomen

• Bleeding from your vagina in between your periods or after the menopause. (This can also be a sign of other types of cancer. You should always get unusual bleeding checked out.)

Glossary

constipated

When you're constipated, you have difficulty passing stools (faeces). Your bowel movements may be dry and hard. You may have fewer bowel movements than usual, and it may be a strain when you try to go.

diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is when you have loose, watery stools and you need to go to the toilet far more often than usual. Doctors say you have diarrhoea if you need to go to the toilet more than three times a day.

menopause

When a woman stops having periods, it is called the menopause. This usually happens around the age of 50.

For more terms related to Ovarian cancer

Citations