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The original was posted on /r/twoxchromosomes by /u/fixedgear808 on 2023-09-03 23:36:10.

In 1992, my mother died after a battle with ovarian cancer.

In her memory, I’d like to strongly encourage all women to have regular pelvic exams to check for ovarian cancer. Additional tests include TVUS (transvaginal ultrasound) and the CA-125 blood test. Caught early, 95% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will live more than 5 years after diagnosis.

My mother’s cancer wasn’t caught early enough because there were no reliable tests for it back then. While ovarian cancer doesn’t have a test all to itself, the three tests I mentioned above could provide an early enough warning to aid your survival.

The most common early symptoms include:

*Bloating *Pelvic or abdominal (belly) pain *Trouble eating or feeling full quickly *Urinary symptoms such as urgency (always feeling like you have to go) or frequency (having to go often)

Others symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:

*Fatigue (extreme tiredness) *Upset stomach *Back pain *Pain during sex *Constipation *Changes in a woman’s period, such as heavier bleeding than normal or irregular bleeding *Abdominal (belly) swelling with weight loss

For more information, visit the American Cancer Society’s website.