In most cases, ovarian cancer occurs after age of 50 , but experts say that 17% of cases it develops in women younger than 40 years. It is difficult to detect in its early stages, because symptoms are mild or nonexistent until the disease reaches advanced stage. According to the American Institute for Cancer, the most common symptoms are: abdominal and pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, irregular menstruation, back pain that worsens with unexplained, tiredness, bloating, nausea, vomiting or lack of appetite. Given the growing number of young women affected by ovarian cancer, many researches have been oriented to develop options that do not affect fertility.

We must know that the traditional treatment of ovarian cancer involves removal of the ovaries and uterus, leading to an inability to pregnancy. However, if diagnosed in early stages, researchers from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University found that women can be operated without affecting fertility.



"If the patient is young and wants to get pregnant in the future doen't need a hysterectomy (removal of uterus) or total castration. It's much safer to call a procedure that does not influence the efficiency of conservation treatment, but allows patients to fulfill their dream of giving birth. So if I talk about the stage of disease, cure can be achieved, "explains Dr. Beth Karlan, director of the Institute" Women's Cancer Research, American newspaper quoted the Los Angeles Times. There are also numerous studies that show that a woman can get pregnant, even after chemotherapy treatment.



Next stage of research  determine whether this conservation procedure can be recommended to all young women with ovarian cancer at an early stage, as Jason says Dr. Wright, the leader of this study. This reasonable option must be taken into account by both the doctor and the patient.


Transvaginal ultrasound, more accurate in identifying ovarian cancer

Transvaginal ultrasound is more accurate in diagnosis of ovarian cancer, according to the doctors from the University of Kentucky Medical, Today's Days quoted in the publication. They selected 272 women from a group of 31,748 women included in a project of the university, who made an annual transvaginal ultrasound to compare which of the diagnostic methods are more effective in making a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. The results show that transvaginal ultrasound is capable to detect a possible malignancy in the ovaries in 73% of cases while the present simple analysis of patient symptoms was effective in diagnosing only benign formations.

Hormone therapy increases the risk of ovarian cancer

Women following hormone therapy after menopause are at greater risk of developing ovarian cancer, risk remained high even at two
years after estrogen treatment has ended, says a study that appeared in the publication Journal of the American Medical Association "and cited by CNN. Even a short-term therapy (less than four years) is associated with an increase of 30-40% risk of ovarian cancer. In the past, hormone therapy was linked to a series of health problems. For example, a 2002 study showed that women taking hormones for a period
long had a high risk to breast cancer, stroke or heart disease.

Obesity increases the risk of ovarian cancer by 80%

Overweight women show a higher risk of suffering from ovarian cancer compared with those with normal weight.Scientists believe that the link between obesity and ovarian cancer is due to adipose tissue, which retains the excess fat around the stomach and secreting estrogen (female hormone). It seems that this hormone can stimulate ovarian cell growth and plays an important role in cancer.