See Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer below. If you think you have ovarian cancer, do not fear.  Natural herbal cures include ellagic acid, graviola, and essiac, and there are electromedicine approaches from Lakhovsky, Beck, and Rife.  Cancer is due to symbiotic organisms becoming parasitic from a diet that is too acidic. Avoid cancer by eating an alkaline diet; see the links to the left.

Ovarian cancer grows in the ovaries, two small organs that are part of the female reproductive system in which eggs mature. Each month an egg is released into the Fallopian tube where it may be fertilized with sperm. If it is not fertilized, the egg passes into the uterus and is lost when the uterus sheds its lining during a period.

Of the various types of ovarian cancer, the most common type affects the cells forming the surface layer of the ovaries called the epithelial cells. Epithelial cell cancer makes up 90% of all cases of ovarian cancer. The other types are mostly germ cell cancers which arise from the egg-making cells of the ovary.

Ovarian cancer usually develops in women over the age of 55, and is most common in women between the ages of 65 and 75.  About 1 in 57 women in the US get it.  It is the fifth leading cause of cancer in women.

Almost all women with ovarian cancer that choose modern medicine will need surgery, which may involve removing the single affected ovary and its Fallopian tube, or both ovaries and the uterus together with nearby lymph nodes and surrounding tissues.  Alternative Medicine offers non-surgical methods that should be considered first.

Symptoms  of Ovarian Cancer
The symptoms are vague and easily confused with other diseases, and there is no reliable, simple to administer screening test like the Pap Smear for cervical cancer and the mammogram for breast cancer. The ability to detect this disease is poor, and many women are not diagnosed until their tumors have reached a late stage.

Ovarian cancer ordinarily produces no distinctive symptoms, and most tumors metastasize, or spread, to other abdominal organs before being diagnosed. Metastasis can give rise to ascites, a build-up of fluid in the abdomen that usually causes abdominal swelling. Such swelling may be the only indication that something is wrong, and it is the most common reason given by ovarian cancer patients when they first visit their doctor, but this symptom occurs for only a minority of cases.  Because each symptom might affect only some women, it is good to be aware of all the symptoms.

Known symptoms include:

• Abdominal pressure or feeling "full"

• Clothes too tight

• Bloating or discomfort

• Indigestion or gas

• Nausea

• Loss of appetite

• Constipation or diarrhea

• Urinary problems, urgency, burning, or spasms

• Change in bowel movements

• Unusual fatigue or fever

• Abnormal bleeding

• Unexplained weight gain or loss

• Back, leg, or stomach pain

• Pain during intercourse

• Shortness or difficulty of breathing

• Irregular periods

• Vaginal bleeding after menopause

• A malnourished or wasted appearance

Rarely, ovarian cancer can give off hormones that will cause breast enlargement or growth of facial hair. The above symptoms can be caused by things other than cancer, but if a symptom lasts for two or three weeks, it would be prudent to get it checked out.

Your doctor should perform a pelvic (including rectovaginal) examination, a CA-125 blood test, and a transvaginal ultrasound.  These three tests together will provide you with any evidence of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer has long been called "The Silent Killer", because it usually isn't discovered until its advanced stages. 70-75% of the time the cancer has spread to other parts of the abdomen before it is detected. However, alternative medicine has been very effective even with terminal patients; review the links on the above left.

You can see pictures of ovarian cancer here.
 

Related links

Choose Your Cancer Cure

Prevention and Cause of Cancer