#TEALYOURSTORY | Ovaries before brovaries

Welcome, September, you beautiful, transcendent 

musk ox of a month! 

I'm a sucker for September not only because it's my birthday month (40+1 this year!), but because it is ovarian cancer awareness month.

I'd never heard of ovarian cancer before I was twenty-three—never thought about ovaries much except that they were kind of a pain in my side once a month—never considered cancer invading them or how devastating that could be. Even at twenty-three when my friend Em was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, losing both her ovaries in a surgery to remove the tumors that had invaded them, I didn't think too much about it. After the surgery and chemo Em was in remission for years. And why on earth would I think about something as scary and horrible as ovarian cancer if no one I loved had it anymore?

Oh, young Shannon, you wonderful, naive land mermaid!

I haven't stopped thinking about ovarian cancer for the past fifteen years—not since Em found out her ovarian cancer had come back (What? But you don't have ovaries any more, Em! How is that even a thing?!—actually, I think my exact words, the only words I said in response to her telling me were, "Shit.").

And the thing is that while there have been many advances in the science surrounding cancer, the overall survival rate for those with ovarian cancer hasn't changed that much. Why?

Oh, lemme tell ya. That's what September is all about. Not my birthday. Not the leaves changing color. Not the infusion of pumpkin spice into every little thing on earth. No. It's about helping people understand ovarian cancer, the syptoms, the stages, the treatments, and the hope that we have to continue to foster to find a cure.

So let's begin, friends.

When I wrote explaining about ovarian cancer last year, these were the statistics.

Early detection is crucial to saving lives when it comes to ovarian cancer. If it is found and treated before it spreads beyond the ovary, the five-year survival rate of ovarian cancer is 92%. However, only 15% of ovarian cancer cases are discovered in this stage. Late stage diagnoses reduce women's average five-year survival rates to around 40% (source: American Cancer Society)

And things are about the same. The average five-year survival rate is 46%. In 2016, the American Cancer Society estimates 22,280 new ovarian cancer cases and 14,240 deaths from the disease. Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common of the gynecological cancers, but the number one killer.

But what I like to focus on is that 92% up there. If ovarian cancer is detected before it spreads, the five-year survival rate is 92%. That's freaking fabulous. That's almost as good as the localized five-year survival rates of uterine (95%), cervical (92%), and breast (99%) cancers!

The big difference is that only 15% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed before the cancer has spread from the ovaries. Compare that to 61% for breast cancer and 46% for cervical and uterine cancers.

Why?

There are more reasons than I will explain here, but these are the big ones, the ones we can all pay attention to and do something about.

Ovarian cancer isn't normally detected until later stages because the symptoms are often ignored by women and doctors or misdiagnosed.

Early cancers of the ovaries often cause no symptoms. When ovarian cancer causes symptoms, they tend to be symptoms that are more commonly caused by other things. These symptoms include abdominal swelling or bloating (due to a mass or a buildup of fluid), pelvic pressure or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and/or urinary symptoms (having to go urgently or often). Most of these symptoms can also be caused by other less serious conditions. These symptoms can be more severe when they are caused by ovarian cancer, but that isn’t always true. What is most important is that they are a change from how a woman usually feels. (source: American Cancer Society)

Raise your hands ladies if you've ever ignored these symptoms, brushed them off as being symptomatic of have lady bits?

I probably would have ignored them, too, if it hadn't been for Em.


Because of my hyper-vigilance, I've had a few ultrasounds that turned out to be nothing (nothing but relief!). But I'm okay with that. And my doctor didn't argue with me once about the precaution.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are subtle. They don't often interfere with our daily lives because we've become accustomed to living with some degree of discomfort.

Ah, sweet Westley! That may be true, but there are some pains we shouldn't accept. We have to pay attention to the signals our bodies are giving us. And if a doctor tells you constant bloating and pain is just a consequence of owning ovaries, of being a woman, or of getting older, then it's time to find a new doctor.

The second big reason ovarian cancer doesn't get detected until it has spread is because there is no screening test. A screening test is a test administered to someone without symptoms of cancer to determine if they have cancer or not. It's a routine test, like a mammogram for breast cancer or pap smear for cervical cancer, given to everyone as a precaution.

There is no screening test for ovarian cancer. There are tests that can be run on a woman if it is believed she may have cancer that will help determine the diagnosis, but there is no screening test—nothing that can catch ovarian cancer in its earliest stages.

What can we do to help fix this problem?

Donate to ovarian cancer research. The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance (a new partnership between the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance)  and the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition are reputable giants in the field of ovarian cancer research and advocacy.

Want to be more involved? Visit the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance's Advocacy at Home page and learn ways to be a vocal and vital supporter in this cause.

Or you can simply share this blog post and the others that will follow this month. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram, too, where I'll be posting about ovarian cancer awareness all month. Follow the #KNOWOVARIAN and #30DAYSOFTEAL hashtags, as well as my own #TEALYOURSTORY tag.

And don't forget to wear your teal this month. When someone asks why, shout "Ovaries before Brovaries!" Just kidding. Don't do that. (Although if you do, I totally want a video!)

When someone asks, tell them 46% just isn't enough. We want more. We want 100% for every woman. We want life.

Even with the pain, sweet Westley. We want life.