September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

1 in 72 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 85% of those women are diagnosed in the later stages.

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and cities across the nation will turn teal, the official color of ovarian cancer. This year, 22,000 women of all ages will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Due to the subtleness of ovarian cancer symptoms, and because there is no reliable test for early detection, ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose and easily confused with other ailments. When ovarian cancer is detected early, more than 90% of women will survive longer than five years. However, only 19% of women are diagnosed in the early stages. When diagnosed in advanced stages, the chance of five-year survival is only 44%.

The Laurel Auto Group Pro-Am Charity Golf Classic has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support local cancer education and awareness efforts. If you’re interested in helping in the fight against ovarian cancer, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to:

Ann Harris Smith Foundation for Gynecological Cancer Awareness

c/o The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies

116 Market Street

Johnstown, PA 15901

The purpose of this foundation is to educate women and their families on the prevention and detection of gynecological cancers and to improve the overall survival rate and quality of life for these women.

Who Should Be Screened for Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer was known as “the silent killer” for many years in the past. That’s because symptoms may be unnoticeable or too similar to other ailments to easily detect. This meant that many women in the past would believe they had a run-of-the-mill problem, only time find out that they had ovarian cancer. However, today, women are better able to get screened to determine if they may have cancer or be at risk for ovarian cancer. According to Healthline.com, “One of the most disappointing facts is that in over 30 years, the mortality rates for ovarian cancer have not been reduced. However, women diagnosed in the early stages have a much higher five-year survival rate than those diagnosed at later stages.”

The risk factors for ovarian cancer are wide-reaching. If you have one of the following risk factors, you may wish to pay special attention to testing for ovarian cancer:

·         Family history of ovarian cancer.

·         Having your first menstrual cycle early in life.

·         Late menopause.

·         Being 65 years old or older.

·         Never having been pregnant.

·         Being overweight or obese.

·         Getting an endometriosis diagnosis.

·         Having breast cancer.

·         Never taking birth control.

Today, there are three major screening methods to determine if you have ovarian cancer. These are a pelvic exam, a CA-125 array, or a transvaginal ultrasound. However, recent evidence shows that these screenings may cause more harm than good, because of a large number of false results (positive and negative). As StopCancerFund.org points out, “In September 2012, the United States Preventative Services Task Force recommended against annual ovarian cancer screening tests for women who do not have symptoms.[3] They concluded that women who have no signs or symptoms, no family history of breast or ovarian cancer, and no increased risk based on their genes do not benefit from screening and may even be harmed by it.”

If you’re concerned about the risk of ovarian cancer, you can simply ask your gynecologist or primary care physician to pay extra attention to your ovaries and reproductive organs when you’re in for your yearly checkup.