According to recent studies, more than 20,000 women each year will develop ovarian cancer. Significantly more than half of those women will die from the disease. The statistics are frightening because ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it has spread within the pelvis and abdomen. When detected at this late stage, ovarian cancer is difficult to treat and is often fatal.
The symptoms of ovarian cancer can mimic many other benign conditions, making it difficult to diagnose. The most common symptoms include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, feeling full quickly, and urinary urgency. Ovarian cancer causes persistent symptoms that occur more often and are more severe. Other signs could include fatigue, back pain, and constipation.
If a diagnosis is confirmed, it will be staged to see how widespread it is and how it will be treated. Survival rates are often based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had the disease; however, each individual case is different. Other factors such as general health, treatment, and response to treatment, can affect survival rate.
Treatment with chemotherapy or radiation comes with many side effects, including pain. Managing pain can be emotionally and physically exhausting, but relief is possible. It can come from natural oil in the milkweed plant instead of pain medications with the use of Milkweed Balm, which can be massaged directly into the skin to help soothe muscles. When patients can focus on their prognosis instead of the pain, they can get back to living.