As Michigan observes September as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, it is an opportunity to raise awareness of the risk factors and signs and symptoms of this deadly disease. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system, yet it accounts for only about 3 percent of all cancers in women.

In 2007, 533 Michigan women died from ovarian cancer, and in 2005, 696 Michigan women were newly diagnosed with the disease. In 2009, the American Cancer Society estimates that 520 Michigan women will die from ovarian cancer.

There is no way to know for sure who will get ovarian cancer. Most women get it without being at high risk. However, there are several factors that may increase the chance that you will get ovarian cancer, including if you:

- Are middle-aged or older.

- Have close family members (such as your mother, sister, aunt, or grandmother) on either your mother's or your father's side who have had ovarian cancer.

- Have had breast, uterine, or colorectal cancer.

- Have an Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish background.

- Have never given birth or have had trouble getting pregnant.

- Have endometriosis (a condition where tissue from the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body).

"Because there currently is no effective screening test for this disease, it is important for women to understand their risks of developing ovarian cancer," said Greg Holzman MD, Michigan Department of Community Health Medical Director. "If you have one or more of these factors, it does not mean you will get ovarian cancer. But you should speak with your health care provider about your risk."

There is no known way to prevent ovarian cancer. But these things may lower your chance of getting ovarian cancer:

- Having used birth control pills for more than five years.

- Having had a tubal ligation (getting your tubes tied), both ovaries removed, or hysterectomy (an operation in which the uterus, and sometimes cervix, is removed.

- Having given birth.

Early ovarian cancer may not cause obvious symptoms. But, as the cancer grows, symptoms may include:

- Pain in the pelvic or abdominal area (the area below your stomach and in between your hip bones).

- Back pain.

- Being tired all the time.

- Bloating, this is when the area below your stomach swells or feels full.

- A change in your bathroom habits, such as having to pass urine badly or very often.

- An upset stomach or heartburn.

- Discharge from your vagina that is not normal for you.

See your health care provider if you have any of these signs every day for two weeks or longer and they are not normal for you, especially if they get worse. Also, see your health care provider if you have any bleeding from your vagina that is not normal for you, particularly if you are past menopause. These symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your health care provider. Treatment is most effective when ovarian cancer is found and treated early.

For more information on ovarian cancer, please visit:

American Cancer Society

http://www.cancer.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/ovarian/

The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation

http://www.thegcf.org

Michigan Department of Community Health http://www.michigan.gov/cancer National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/ovarian