What should you know about ovarian cancer awareness day?

Awareness is not a diagnosis or a promise that screening will find every ovarian cancer. It helps people recognise changes such as ongoing bloating, pelvic or abdominal discomfort, feeling full quickly, urinary changes or unusual bleeding, then describe them clearly to a clinician.

Risk conversations can include family history of ovarian or breast cancer, inherited gene changes and previous medical history. A clinician may use examination, blood tests and imaging such as pelvic ultrasound when symptoms or findings call for investigation.

Write down symptoms, when they began, whether they are becoming more frequent and how they affect eating, sleep or activity. Ask relatives about known cancer diagnoses and share relevant information with your clinician. People with a strong family pattern may be offered BRCA genetic testing or genetic counselling.

If testing identifies an ovarian mass, ask what it could represent and what happens next. If cancer is confirmed, care may involve surgery, chemotherapy, genomic tumour profiling or supportive services according to the diagnosis and your preferences.

Arrange a medical appointment for persistent or changing pelvic pain, abdominal swelling, unexplained bleeding, early fullness or urinary symptoms. Seek urgent help for severe sudden pain, fainting, heavy bleeding, repeated vomiting or difficulty breathing. Awareness should lead to appropriate assessment, not self-diagnosis.

Ask which symptoms need assessment, whether your family history suggests genetic counselling, which tests fit your situation, what an ultrasound can and cannot show, and who to contact if symptoms worsen.