Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Ovarian Cancer - When To Call a Doctor
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
In some cases, ovarian cancer may not cause early symptoms. But most women do have symptoms, even in the early stages. These symptoms may be caused by other problems. But if you have one or more of the following symptoms, and it occurs almost daily for more than 2 or 3 weeks, talk to your doctor:
- Recent, frequent bloating.
- Pain in your belly or pelvis.
- Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly.
- Urinary problems, such as feeling an urgent need to urinate or urinating more often than usual.
These symptoms may be common for some women, and they may not mean that you have ovarian cancer. But the early symptoms of ovarian cancer follow a specific pattern:
- They start suddenly.
- They feel different than your normal digestive or menstrual problems.
- They happen almost every day and don't go away.
The symptoms may not seem bad enough for a woman to seek medical care. But getting medical care right away may help find ovarian cancer at an early stage. A woman has a better chance of successful treatment when ovarian cancer is found early.
Watchful Waiting
Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your condition or symptoms without using medical treatment. Watchful waiting is not appropriate if you have symptoms that do not go away. If you are concerned about your symptoms and you have a higher risk for ovarian cancer, call and make an appointment with your doctor.
Who To See
Health professionals who can evaluate your symptoms and your risk for ovarian cancer include:
- Nurse practitioner.
- Physician assistant.
- Internist.
- Gynecologist.
- Obstetrician.
- Family medicine physician.
Doctors who can manage your cancer treatment include:
- Gynecologic oncologist. Your long-term outcome (prognosis) is improved if you are under the care of an experienced gynecologic oncologist. His or her expertise can help determine the best treatment choices at the time of the initial surgery.15
- Medical oncologist (often called an "oncologist").
To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: October 22, 2009 |
| Medical Review: | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Ross Berkowitz, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network