I may have run 6 marathons, the last one 7 months after surgery and chemotherapy for cervical cancer, but I am no Lance Armstrong. Lance, as many of you know, was diagnosed ten years ago with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.
It has been just over one year since I was diagnosed with cancer. Since then I have had surgery, chemotherapy, six months of lying around on the couch staring out the window at the dappled light of days yawning and stretching over the sky until the night slinked in.
Four days after I got engaged in March of this year I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The doctor said, "You have a cauliflower growth on your cervix. That's not normal. I am booking you in to see a specialist."
The cervix is part of a woman's reproductive system. Doctors cannot explain why some women develop cervical cancer while others do not. What we do know is that there are risk factors which make some women more vulnerable, to develop cervical cancer, than others.
There are four specific stages of ovarian cancer. Knowing these stages will help you to determine what your treatment options are and what symptoms to look for so you can get the upper hand on the silent killer.
First you need to know just exactly what a pelvic exam is. It is an exam of the vagina, cervix and uterus that is done by a doctor or some other qualified health care professional. Pelvic exams should start to be done at least a few years after a woman begins to have sexual intercourse or at the age of 21.
The newest advancement in ovarian cancer detection is an yearly CA 125 blood test to help screen against ovarian cancer. Many have dismissed this new test as being a false advertisement and not worth checking out or talking to their over with their doctor. However, this isn’t the case.
Ovarian cancer is termed a silent disease because it typically isn’t found until it is in the advanced stages. In most of these cases by the time the cancer is detected it has already spread to other parts of the abdomen. However, there are some early warning signs that can help you to detect ovarian cancer before it is too late.
Ovarian germ cell tumors are a disease in which cancer cells form in the egg cells of the ovary. These tumors typically begin in the reproductive cells of the body. This form of ovarian cancer typically occurs in teenager girls or young women and usually only effects one of the ovaries not both.
Ovarian cancer is a serious and silent disease amongst women. Certain families may even have a history of ovarian cancer. Those with a family history of ovarian cancer are at an increased risk of developing it themselves.
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