What you need to know about ovarian cancer

18 Aug 2021

As women, we're used to our bodies constantly changing. Many of us feel pelvic pain and become bloated when we get our period. If we have young kids, we feel tired ALL THE TIME. We might even get abdominal upsets from food intolerances.

As a preventative health hub, Pink Hope is dedicated to ensuring women and their families are supported and educated, listen to their bodies and advocate for themselves in the healthcare system.

So we have created the content series "The Science Behind Ovarian Cancer", a digital campaign to educate yourself about what you should know about ovarian cancer.

We all know ovarian cancer is hard to detect but listen to your body and if you have any of these symptoms, contact your doctor:

    • Abdominal or pelvic pain
    • Persistent abdominal bloating
    • Excessive fatigue
    • Frequent urination
    • Feeling full quickly after eating small amounts
    • Irregular periods or bleeding in between periods
    • Changed bowel habits
    • Post-menopausal bleeding


Unfortunately, there are no effective screening tests or vaccines for ovarian cancer.

But there are some risk factors, including

    • Family history of ovarian, breast, or some other cancers (these account for about 20% of ovarian cancer diagnoses)
    • Increasing age
    • Use of hormone replacement therapy
    • A BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation
    • History of endometriosis
    • Being overweight
    • Smoking
    • Not having children


Just because you have any of these risk factors doesn't mean you will end up with ovarian cancer.
It just means that you have a higher chance than those with no risk factors.

The earlier you know your risk or pick up symptoms of ovarian cancer, the quicker you can treat it and the better your chances of a positive outcome.

Head to our social channels to learn more: