Cancerous tumours develop when cell growth doesn’t respond to DNA instructions to stop. This leads to the cells dividing over and over again, causing more copies of itself that form into tumour. When a tumour develops in the reproductive system, such as the ovaries or Fallopian tubes, there are certain warning signs. The charity Target Ovarian Cancer draws attention to the four main symptoms of the disease.
All ovarian cancer symptoms are “persistent”, meaning they don’t go away.
Another telling sign is that the symptoms are frequent enough to happen more than once every month.
In addition, it’s telling if the symptoms are new to you, are now frequent or persistent.
These symptoms could also be similar to those experienced from ovarian cysts or irritable bowel syndrome.
Up to 20 percent of ovarian cancer cases can be attributed to an inherited faulty gene.
This is known as the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that can be tested for if you have a close relative, such as sister or mum, with breast or ovarian cancer.
Over risky factors for ovarian cancer include:
- Being overweight, particularly if the BMI is 28 or over
Various studies have shown that using talcum powder in between the legs can increase the risk of ovarian cancer (albeit marginally).
It’s for this reason Target Ovarian Cancer advise against using talcum powder around the vaginal area.
“The talcum powder could possibly travel into the vagina through the cervix and into the womb.
“Once in the womb it could then possibly reach the fallopian tubes and then the ovaries.
“The powder could then cause irritation and over a period of time cause cancerous changes to the cells of the ovaries,” the charity explained.