What should you know about ovarian cancer screening age?

For people without symptoms or a known high-risk inherited change, routine testing is not generally used as a simple age-based check. A clinician may review family history, previous diagnoses, menstrual or menopausal status, and any ongoing pelvic or abdominal symptoms. A pelvic ultrasound can show the ovaries and nearby structures, but an ultrasound alone cannot confirm or exclude cancer. Screening is different from investigating a new symptom: persistent bloating, pelvic discomfort, changes in bowel or bladder habits, or unusual bleeding needs assessment at any age.

Arrange a medical review if symptoms continue or recur, even when you are below or above an age you associate with screening. If several close relatives have had ovarian, breast, bowel or related cancers, ask whether genetic counselling and BRCA Genetic Testing are appropriate. Bring a family history with relatives’ cancer types and approximate ages at diagnosis. Depending on the findings, your clinician may discuss imaging, referral to a gynaecology team, or risk-reducing options such as Oophorectomy.

Seek prompt medical advice for persistent abdominal swelling, pelvic pain, feeling full quickly, unexplained weight change, or bleeding after menopause. Seek urgent care for severe sudden pelvic pain, fainting, heavy bleeding, or repeated vomiting. These symptoms have several possible causes, so urgency should be based on the symptom’s severity and persistence, not on an assumption that it is ovarian cancer.

Ask: Does my family history change my risk assessment? Do my symptoms need imaging now? What would a pelvic ultrasound show? Should I see a genetics specialist? If an inherited risk is found, what monitoring or risk-reduction choices are available?