Ovarian Cancer Research Paper

Ovarian cancer has become the deadliest cancer of the reproductive system. Why? It is because it is not caught until the cancer has metastasized. The age prevalence of developing ovarian cancer is becoming younger with more woman waiting to have their first child in their thirties. Infertility has been associated with increased risk of developing ovarian cancer; whether infertility is a physical issue or a choice to wait to have kids, the risk is present with the fewer pregnancies total. Ovarian Cancer has been linked to BRCA gene that is found in breast cancer; therefore women with the BRCA gene are in danger of getting both. Cancer treatments, like chemotherapy, are causing women to be infertile. Women then must be aware about fertility …show more content…
Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus that produce ova and the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Ovarian cancer is easily undetected until it has spread to the pelvis and abdomen; this is when it is more challenging to treat and more fatal. Early-stage ovarian cancer, confined to one or both ovaries, is more likely to be treated effectively. Typical treatment includes surgery and chemotherapy. Early-stage ovarian cancer rarely causes any symptoms, hence why the cancer is not identified until advanced-stages. The most common symptoms are constipation or irritable bowel. Then other signs and symptoms may include “weight loss, bloating, change in bowel habits, urinary frequency, and feeling full soon after starting to eat” (Bohn, 2015). The diagnosis is typically found during a yearly wellness check up with a family physician or obstetrician and gynecologist (OB-GYN) then the client is referred to a “OB-GYN gynecologic oncologist, who specializes in cancer of the reproductive system” (Bohn, 2015). Family physician should be aware of the risk factors for ovarian cancer in order to find it early and get woman a gynecologic oncologist …show more content…
Many more studies also came to similar conclusion, that whatever was causing the woman to be infertile was the cause of the increased risk for cancer. (Moorman PG, 2013) Also, they found that woman decreased parity has an increased risk for developing ovarian cancer in their lifetime. (Jordan SJ, 2009) The study in the American journal of epidemiology hypothesized that “women with higher parity have a lower risk of ovarian cancer possibly because of pregnancy hormones” (Jordan SJ, 2009). The results gave evidence for an association between different hormones have “different effects on ovarian cancer risk and that some of these associations may vary with histologic subtype” (Jordan SJ, 2009). The difference in hormones is related to the hormones present for a male or female fetus; the mother will have more estrogen when a female fetus is developing compared to the male fetus. Therefore, the study found that “bearing only boys was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of mucinous ovarian cancer” (Jordan SJ, 2009). So for woman with decreased parity or woman with parity of all males are at increased risk for ovarian cancer; in addition, the genetic make-up of the female also has an effect on the

Show More