Warning Signs Of Ovarian Cancer

Pelvic Discomfort And Pain

An ovarian cancer patient can feel pelvic discomfort and pain for many different reasons. Cancer in the ovary can spread to neighboring tissues like the uterus and cause the muscles that make up the uterus to contract inappropriately. This mechanism produces a cramping pain in the lower pelvis. This pain is comparable to the pain of menstrual cramps. If ovarian cancer spreads into the bowel tissues, patients can experience pain due to intestinal damage and improper functioning of the large intestine.

Ovarian cancer can metastasize to the bladder tissues, which can produce pain and urinary symptoms due to the inappropriate contraction of the bladder muscles and inflammation. Ovarian cancer can cause patients to develop ascites, which will cause them to feel discomfort and pain because the organs and nerves in the pelvic area are being compressed.

Bowel Habit Changes

The ovaries are located quite close to the large intestine in the upper pelvis and lower abdomen. This close proximity can make the bowels a particularly susceptible area for cancer cell invasion. When ovarian cancer invades the bowel tissues, several new symptoms will appear that are related to intestinal damage, inflammation, and functional impairment. Cancer that has gotten into the bowels can cause patients to have diarrhea if it causes damage to the lining of the large intestine. The lining of the large intestine absorbs fluid from the stool before it exits the body.

Cancer that invades an individual's bowels from the ovaries can cause a full or partial obstruction of the colon, which causes stool to stay inside the intestine for too long. When stool does not move through the digestive tract fast enough, the large intestine may absorb too much fluid. This mechanism can cause the patient to become constipated.