Ovarian cancer awareness: recognising the signs early

During Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month this March, Dr Nick Dunn explains why recognising the possible signs of ovarian cancer matters, what symptoms women should look out for, and why speaking to your GP if something doesn’t feel right can make an important difference.

As GPs, we see women every week with bloating, tummy pain, tiredness or having to wee more frequently. In almost all cases, these symptoms turn out to be something minor—perhaps irritable bowel syndrome, a urine infection, or just the effects of a busy life.

But during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month this March, the message to women is not to ignore these symptoms if they are persistent and occurring repeatedly through the year.

Each year in the UK, around 7,500 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It's the sixth most common cancer in women, and tragically, it has the lowest survival rate of all gynaecological cancers. Around two-thirds of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment becomes much more difficult.

This isn't because women ignore symptoms—it's because the symptoms themselves can be so vague, and easy to dismiss. Research shows that fewer than one in five women feel confident they'd recognise the symptoms.

The four main symptoms women should look out for are:

• Persistent bloating – not the kind that comes and goes with your cycle, but a swollen tummy that doesn't shift

• Abdominal or pelvic pain – that nagging discomfort in your lower tummy that feels like it's always there

• Feeling full quickly – when you can only manage a few mouthfuls before feeling uncomfortably full

• Needing to wee urgently or frequently – and it's not a urine infection

Other signs can include changes in bowel habit (diarrhoea or constipation), unexplained weight loss, extreme fatigue, and back pain. For women who have been through the menopause, any bleeding from the vagina is something we always need to check.

The key word here is “persistent”. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms on most days over a three-week period, arrange to see your GP.

While ovarian cancer can affect anyone with ovaries, your risk increases if you're over 50, have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer (particularly the BRCA gene mutations), or have endometriosis. But you don't need to have risk factors to develop this disease. You do need to listen to your body.

Unlike cervical screening (the smear test) or breast screening (mammograms), there's no simple national screening programme for ovarian cancer in the UK. The tests available—like the CA125 blood test and transvaginal ultrasound—are used for women with symptoms or those at high risk, but they're not accurate enough to use as a routine screening tool for everyone. That makes awareness of symptoms even more vital.

If you're concerned about any symptoms, please book an appointment. You won't be wasting anyone's time. Your GP can assess you, arrange for tests if needed, and either put your mind at rest or refer you for specialist care. If it is ovarian cancer, finding it early dramatically improves outcomes.

For those who'd like more information, Target Ovarian Cancer website offers support and guidance. It is important to remember that you know your body better than anyone. If something doesn't feel right, if those symptoms are hanging around and troubling you, don't talk yourself out of making an appointment.

Will it probably be nothing serious? Yes, most likely. But that "probably" is why we are here. If you're concerned about any symptoms, book an appointment with your GP, who can listen to your concerns, identify any worrying features, examine you, arrange any necessary tests. Hopefully reassurance will be the outcome, but we do want to identify disease early to allow early treatment.