A poll has revealed that many women are not clear on the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Target Ovarian Cancer, who commissioned the poll, says only 3% of women are confident in naming all the warning signs of the disease – and more awareness is urgently needed.
The four main symptoms are persistent bloating; pelvic or abdominal pain; feeling full or a loss of appetite and an increased need to urinate. But just one in five were able to identify bloating as a sign, according to the poll of 1,000 women across the UK.
Meanwhile, only 1% were able to identify increased urinary urgency or frequency as a symptom, and just 3% knew feeling full or a loss of appetite could be a sign of ovarian cancer. Almost a third (32%) knew that pelvic or abdominal pain was a symptom.
