Symptoms and Diagnosis

It can be difficult to diagnose ovarian cancer as other conditions make it harder to identify but the most common symptoms are: 

• Pain in your tummy (abdomen) or in the pelvis (the area between your hip bones) 
• Swollen tummy (feeling bloated 
• Loss of appetite or feeling full after eating 
• Urgent need to pee or peeing frequently. 
• Change in bowel habits (frequency and consistency) 

Other symptoms may include: 

• Losing weight without meaning to 
• Back pain 
• Vaginal bleeding after the menopause 
• Feeling tired all the time 

It is important that if you regularly get any of these symptoms that you see your GP to get these checked. 

The Eve Appeal have produced this poster that shows the signs and symptoms to look out for.

Although there is no direct cause to ovarian cancer, there are certain factors that can raise your risk of developing it: 

• Age (the risk gets higher the older you get) 
• Family history (genetic mutations are linked to a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer) 
• Lifestyle (smoking and being overweight) 
• Taking HRT 
• Previous cancer diagnosis 

Cancer Research UK have got some more information available on their website: Risks and causes of ovarian cancer.