Ovarian Cancer Awareness month starts in September; so we caught up with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition's Ronni Arno Blaisdell to educate women on symptoms and prevention
September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated to educating women on the eighth most common cancer among women in the United States and the fifth leading cause of cancer death.
As part of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, this Friday, September 2, 2011, is National Teal Day - which encourages women to wear teal to increase awareness about the disease.
"Wearing teal clothes, hats, jewelry or even nail polish can spark a conversation about ovarian cancer," Ronni Arno Blaisdell, Director of Communications and Public Outreach for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition 's (NOCC), told genConnect.
The NOCC urges everyone to T.E.A.L: Take Early Action & Live!"
The NOCC is committed to improving the survival rate and quality of life for women with ovarian cancer, a disease that claims 15,000 lives annually in the U.S. In honor of awareness month, they have partnered with the " Dr . Oz Show " to present the "Dr. Oz Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer" campaign, which works to assess ovarian cancer risk factors and offer screenings to women who show increased risk.
"We stress awareness because ovarian cancer cases diagnosed in earlier stages show survival rates of up to ninety percent while cases diagnosed in late stages show a thirty percent survival rate," Blaisdell says. "That's a big difference."
Ovarian cancer is often referred to as the "silent killer" because ovarian cancer symptoms are few and often mimic those of many other illnesses. Symptoms include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and urgent or frequent urinary symptoms. There also may be no symptoms present in the early stages.
Click here for more information on symptoms, detection and treatment.
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