You may be at risk of developing ovarian cancer if you:
- had your first pregnancy at an older age or have never been pregnant
- had your menopause at a late age
- have a family member with ovarian cancer (especially if they have the BRCA gene)
- have endometriosis, a condition where the endometrium tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus (womb) grows outside the uterus
- have had breast cancer
- started menstruating at a young age
- used hormone replacement therapy for more than 5 years
- were overweight in early adulthood
However, the risk of ovarian cancer developing in a woman is about 1 in 81, and this tumour is usually “ silent”. The symptoms are vague and usually not detected until the disease is advanced.
So, even if you do not have risk factors for the cancer, it is important to consider the possibility if you have the following symptoms.