Abdominal bloating is one of the most common and recognizable symptoms of ovarian cancer. If you experience a feeling of fullness, tightness, or discomfort in your abdomen (belly), go see your OB/GYN to get it checked out. It’s easy to dismiss this symptom as having other causes such as food disagreeing with you, or IBS, or stress. And it’s possible any one of those things is the cause. But it’s also possibly gynecologic in nature. Ovarian cancer is called the “silent killer” because it’s often caught late, when it’s hard to fight. Knowing the symptoms and getting checked early is your best defense against this disease.

Changes in bowel function such as persistent or progressive constipation or diarrhea can be signs of ovarian cancer. While it’s not easy to talk about, and is easy to assume is due to other factors like IBS or digestive sensitivities, these can also be signs of ovarian cancer. If your bowel function has changed it’s important you see your OB/GYN to make sure the cause is not gynecologic in nature. Ovarian cancer is called the “silent killer” because its symptoms are hard to spot and it’s often caught late, when it’s harder to win the battle. Early detection is key, so get anything that’s happening in your abdomen or pelvis checked by an OB/GYN, even if it seem to be related to something else like digestion.

Any time you have persistent (doesn’t go away) or progressive (gets worse) pain, you should go see a doctor, no matter where it is on your body. If that pain is in your abdomen (tummy) or pelvis (lower region below your stomach), you need to see your OB/GYN. Period. End of story. There can be many reasons for abdominal or pelvic pain and you may rule out something gynecologic and go see a different doctor like a gastroenterologist (digestive system doctor). But this could be a symptom of ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, cervical cancer, or vaginal cancer, so don’t wait. Get it checked out.