AND THE SURVEY SAYS?

Surveying a woman’s risk

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

A simple checklist may help women learn if they are at risk of ovarian cancer. Researchers surveyed 1,200 women, ages 40 and older, at a primary care clinic. They asked if they were experiencing certain symptoms on a frequent basis – abdominal pain, pelvic pain, difficultly eating, bloating, or feeling full quickly.

Robyn Andersen is a member of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

“If she is having these symptoms, and they’re new to her, that’s a great time to take them to the doctor, and to make sure that they are brought up at the visit. If they are not ovarian cancer, they’re often other things that can be treated.”

The doctor may need to do follow up tests.

The study in the Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.