Several preventative strategies may be used to treat ovarian cancer, a major health issue. These precautions might include early diagnosis, genetic testing, and screening. However, these techniques have certain dangers, so you must review the relative risks and advantages with your doctor. Prophylactic surgery is suggested in specific circumstances. Both sides of the ovaries are cut in this instance. Although there is a slight chance, this procedure may lower the risk of getting ovarian cancer.
Women should discuss their worries about ovarian cancer and its dangers with their physicians. Based on the test findings, your doctor will determine your risk for the condition and suggest preventative measures. Your doctor could advise screening tests if you are at high risk for the illness to find early before it can spread to other body regions. However, the early signs of ovarian cancer are often ill-defined and difficult to identify.
The condition may also be avoided by keeping a healthy weight. By up to 50%, birth control pill use lowers ovarian cancer risk. Women who utilize an alternate hormone replacement treatment (HRT) are also less likely to get this illness. Additionally, the risk is reduced by up to 2% after childbirth and nursing. Each preventive method does, however, have advantages and disadvantages.
Another significant risk factor for ovarian cancer is a family history of cancer. Genetic testing could be possible if you are a family member of a woman who has the condition. If you have a mutation, your doctor could advise removing the ovary.
Ovarian cancer prevention strategies have improved due to increased knowledge of the condition and the genes linked to it. Genetic testing is now readily accessible and has assisted medical professionals in identifying many women who need surgical removal of their ovaries and fallopian tubes. Despite these new developments, decision-making is becoming more difficult.
It has been shown that maintaining a good diet and working out several times each week may reduce ovarian cancer risk by up to 20%. Certain meals may significantly lower the chance of acquiring ovarian cancer. Vitamin D and A-rich foods have been demonstrated to reduce risk.
The chance of acquiring ovarian cancer may also be decreased by taking other precautionary steps. For instance, it has been shown that oral contraceptives greatly lower the risk of ovarian cancer. In reality, ovarian cancer risk is reduced by 50% in women who take oral contraceptives for five years.
Genetic counseling or genetic testing may be advised if you have a family history of a genetic mutation. This aids in identifying which ovarian cancer-risk-raising gene alterations your family has experienced. Genetic testing aid physicians in identifying the risk-reduction measures that may work best for you. Making the appropriate selections can help you reduce your chance of getting ovarian cancer.
Although using birth control tablets lowers the chance of developing ovarian cancer, there are certain side effects. While there is a continuing study to assess the hazards, using birth control tablets may lower the chance of breast cancer. The surgical removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes also significantly lowers the risk of ovarian cancer. Prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is the name of this operation. Oophorectomy, however, may not be the best option for females with a BRCA1 mutation.
Using oral contraceptives reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by another factor. These drugs prevent ovulation, which lowers the chance of the illness by up to 50%. However, oral contraceptives have additional dangers that you should address with your doctor. To be safe, oral contraceptives should generally be used for at least five years.
Another risk factor for ovarian cancer is infertility. To lessen their symptoms, hormone replacement treatment is often offered to menopausal women. These symptoms appear when the body tries to adjust to reduced estrogen levels. While there is no known treatment for ovarian cancer, estrogen replacement therapy may significantly lower the risk.