Ovarian cancer occurs when there are abnormal cells in one or both ovaries. They are the parts of your reproductive organs that make hormones and store eggs. There are many ways to treat ovarian cancer, including surgery or chemotherapy. Here’s what people with ovarian cancer want you to know about this condition.
Kate Welsford was just 19 when her first ovary was removed due to a low-cancerous tumor. These are tumors with certain cells that can become cancerous. Five years later, her doctors found a new tumor in her other ovary.
“At that time we were preparing to remove my only remaining ovary. And we wanted children,” she says.
Today, Welsford and her husband have three children, ages 2, 6 and 8. But she says having biological children wouldn’t have been possible if she hadn’t had open and honest conversations with her doctor in her early 20s.
Welsford and her doctor decided to postpone surgery on the ovarian tumor to perform a round of ovarian stimulation. This allowed them to save her eggs so she could still have children.
“I think the biggest part of this whole journey for us was asking questions,” she says. “If we didn’t ask what our future would look like, I don’t know if we would be thinking about it at that moment [fertility] or pursuing options.”
Kate Thompson-Maher, a 66-year-old retired doctor, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer just under two years ago. She remembers symptoms such as pelvic cramps, bloating, the need to urinate more often, nausea and heartburn, but never thought these were signs of ovarian cancer.
“They were so non-specific that I ignored them,” she says. “I attributed them to other things and completely ignored it.”
Thompson-Maher’s doctor later diagnosed him with early stage III ovarian cancer. She often wonders if her medical team would have noticed it sooner if she had noticed the symptoms earlier.
This situation occurs often. Early-stage ovarian cancer usually doesn’t have many warning signs, and advanced cancer symptoms are often confused with other conditions.
“We need to highlight the vague symptoms… don’t ignore them, get them looked at,” says Thompson-Maher.
After experiencing strange symptoms such as a racing heart and body aches, 62-year-old Benita Dallas scheduled several appointments to determine the cause. Her doctor performed an ultrasound at the time and finally made the diagnosis
Dallas with ovarian cancer. Immediately afterwards, Dallas was admitted to the hospital and was told her prognosis was grim.
“I spent twelve days, three times a day [doctors] told me I had stage IV cancer and that I was going to die. And that I had to get my affairs in order and there was nothing they could do for me,” she says.
Dallas was determined to overcome the odds and fight for her life. She decided to get a second opinion from another doctor. Two days after a PET scan, she received a call from her second doctor, who said her prognosis was not as serious as the first diagnosis suggested.
“I probably screamed for two minutes straight. It was like having an out of body experience. I will never forget that,” she says.
Dallas urges other people, especially those diagnosed with late-stage cancer, to talk to multiple doctors. “The second opinion changed my life.”
Certain conditions, such as ovarian cancer, cannot always be cured. You may have to live with symptoms similar to diabetes or heart disease for the rest of your life.
But you can control your ovarian cancer with therapy. “Treatments that are available now really put you into remission during periods when you feel normal. It’s not like you walk around feeling terrible all the time,” says Thompson-Maher.
In some cases, a certain type of treatment may not work. But there are other options to explore, as experts are always studying new therapies.
Juggling ovarian cancer surgery and future family planning also taught Welsford to take it easy. “If you look at it piece by piece and problem by problem, you can tackle it. But when you look at the end, all the things that need to be done, it’s overwhelming,” she says.
Taking care of your mental health is a big part of ovarian cancer treatment. The good news is that there are several options to relieve anxiety or deal with depression. Support groups can help you learn from other people who are going through similar things. You can also talk privately with a mental health professional.
Dallas maintains an optimistic outlook through her job at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She can help others, allowing her to focus less on her own fears and more on the well-being of those around her.
It is crucial for her to stay positive in all parts of her life. She finds that reading enjoyable material, watching comedies, and trusting a higher power keep her from sinking into negative thoughts. And her family, friends and counselor help her find and maintain courage.
“Once you get up, you have to stay up. You have to keep busy,” she says, “mentally I am now stronger than I was.”