Causes of Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is classified as a gynaecological cancer and is seen to be the leading cause of cancer related deaths under this classification. It is the fifth leading cancer to take lives of some 15,000 women in the United States each year. If detected early, it has high chances of being cured via surgery or chemotherapy. However, due to no classic symptoms or 100% accurate screening methods to rely upon, most women have reached stage III of the disease before it is caught. This requires intensive chemotherapy and does not project very high survival rates of life expectancy after. It usually affects women in the age bracket of above 40, but is seen in younger women as well. Very few women above the age of 75 are affected, but it can be fatal at that stage.

There are no set causes of ovarian cancer. Doctors are still are still looking for sure shot signs that could predict this ovarian cancer before it occurs, but this has been unsuccessful till now. However, they have been able to pinpoint certain lifestyle and genetic factors that makes chances of having it more likely. To start with, women who have gone through menopause show the highest percentage of those who suffer from it. Also, women who live in developed countries and metropolitan areas have shown a higher rate of developing ovarian cancer than other demographics, which raises concern over the kind of lifestyle that affects cancer risk. Other than that, women who have tested positive for the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes are at higher risk than others for ovarian cancer. Also, having had cancer is ones family history is not necessarily a cause of ovarian cancer, but definitely makes for a visit for check up and screening.

Another probable cause for ovarian cancer is having take Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT for a period of time longer than five years. For women who have not yet had menopause, being overweight or obese can be a warning factor. Having experienced endometriosis earlier in life is also considered to be high risk factor for ovarian cancer later on in life. Other gynaecological problems that have been linked to ovarian cancer are starting one’s menstrual cycles earlier than the average age or having menopause much later than expected. Although having gone through fertility treatments was also once considered to be a cause of ovarian cancer, this has since been refuted through research and studies.

The causes of ovarian cancer are still being researched thoroughly, but there are some factors that decrease the risk of ovarian cancer. Women who have used contraceptive pill show a less risk of developing cancer. Having had children is also considered to lower the risk, in fact the more number of children lower the risk factors. Women who have had a hysterectomy definitively decrease the risk of developing ovarian cancer anytime later in life. Even with the lack of classic reasons and causes, ovarian cancer can be detected if women go in for regular health check ups and more importantly, screenings for cancerous cells or tumors.