Ovarian Cancer Needs more Attention and Awareness

Ovarian Cancer Needs more Attention and Awareness

Ovarian cancer is the 7th most common cancer in the world. Nearly 300,000 women are predicted to develop ovarian cancer this year and less than half of these women diagnosed are expected to survive after 5 years. However, there is very little awareness of ovarian cancer and its effects. A survey conducted by the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition gathered information from 1,531 women across 44 countries. The women who participated were from high, middle, and low income countries and were asked to answer online questions about their experiences with ovarian cancer. The study points to the fact that over two thirds of women who participated had never even heard of ovarian cancer or knew nothing about it before they were diagnosed. Additionally, less than half of these women attempted to find care or answers for their symptoms within the first month they appeared, and one in every ten women did not seek medical help for 6 months. This data is important...
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Contemporary Birth Control Pills Reduce Risk of Ovarian Cancer

Contemporary Birth Control Pills Reduce Risk of Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer causes thousands of deaths every year- more than any cancer of the female reproductive system. In 2012, 238,719 women worldwide were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 151,917 died from the cancer. A new study led by Lisa Iversen, a research fellow with the Institute of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, hypothesizes that modern day birth control pills that contain both estrogen and progestogen may lessen the risk of ovarian cancer in women. A similar study was performed decades ago that applied to older contraceptives, although there was no evidence for a similar relationship and effects regarding modern day birth control. Iversen’s study included 2 million women aged 15-49 and found the women who had never used hormonal contraception had the highest risk of ovarian cancer compared to those women who had at some point used birth control. Researchers estimated that hormonal birth control prevented around 21% of women in the study...
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