Q: My mother had ovarian cancer and didn't know about it until it was too late. Is there anything I can do to keep myself from getting ovarian cancer?
A: Unfortunately, your mother's experience is often the case with ovarian cancer. Because ovarian cancer can be in the body for a long time without a woman developing obvious symptoms, it is often diagnosed in the advanced stages of the diseases – making it more difficult to manage and treat. Fortunately, new technologies are being developed that might help to prevent this scenario in the future.
Many factors contribute to the development of cancer. Age, genetics (genes that you inherit from your family and ancestors that might make it more or less likely for you to develop certain diseases such as cancer), environmental factors, lifestyle behaviors and other factors can all play a role. The truth is that we don't always know why someone develops cancer. You can live a healthy life and still become ill with cancer or another disease, or you can live an unhealthy life spending your time drinking and smoking and never get a serious illness!
Here are a few facts about ovarian cancer that might help you better understand the risk factors, and possibly help you prevent this disease:
- According to research, things that suppress ovulation – meaning things that decrease or stop the number of times that you ovulate (the monthly process by which an egg is released from one of your ovaries to be available for fertilization) – might decrease the risk of ovarian cancer. This can include the use of – or past use of – birth control pills, pregnancy and/or having children, and breastfeeding. Again, there are no guarantees in life, and the fact that any of these things are true for you doesn't guarantee you won't develop ovarian cancer. But there is research to suggest that these things might be protective.
- Having your tubes tied or having a hysterectomy might decrease the risk of ovarian cancer according to research. But this is not a specific reason to rush right out and do either. It is important that you have a long discussion with your primary care physician and your gynecologist about the measures you should take to help optimize your health and reduce your risk for disease.
- Other things that have been claimed to possibly increase the risk for ovarian cancer include use of hormone replacement therapy in the postmenopausal years, use of fertility drugs, regular use of talcum powder in the vaginal area, and consumption of a high-fat diet. How these things may or may not affect ovarian cancer are not clear at this time.
As noted above, new developments such as genetic testing and human biomarkers might help prevent ovarian cancer and diagnose the disease at an earlier stage. For now, be sure to have regular physical examinations and have a thorough discussion with your doctor about your family's medical history and its implications in your life. |
