Many of my patients, of all ages, ask to be screened for "everything" during their annual exam. But when they ask to be tested for ovarian cancer, I have to tell them that I can't. Cervical cancer is screened for with a Pap test and breast cancer is screened for with physical exams and mammograms. But ovarian cancer is much more difficult to detect. Physical exams can't pick up abnormalities in the ovary until the ovary is very large. Blood tests just as often pick up other, non-cancerous diseases (like endometriosis). And ultrasounds can't always distinguish between normal cysts and cancerous ones. (This is why birth control pill use to reduce your ovarian cancer risk can be even more important.)

While ovarian cancer is often silent, there are some symptoms that are common among women with the disease:

Now, all of us will feel these things from time to time. But if you notice any of these symptoms daily for a month or more, please see your gyno.