A Guide to Ovarian Cancer Prevention
To continue our pledge to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer, we want to highlight some ways that you might be able to reduce your chance of developing the disease.
These prevention techniques won’t guarantee you a life without ovarian cancer, but they might help reduce the chance of getting ovarian cancer.
If you are worried about your risk – or someone else’s – it is always best to speak to a specialist. Have a chat with your GP, who will refer you further if they think something needs investigating.
Taking oral contraceptives is one way to prevent ovarian cancer.
One of the most common ovarian cancer prevention techniques is the humble contraceptive pill.
Multiple studies have found a link between oral contraceptives and a risk reduction of 50%. They found that the best chance of preventing ovarian cancer with the pill comes from taking it consistently for a long period.
Although its efficacy for reducing ovarian cancer has been proven, the contraceptive pill can introduce other health complications, so it might not be for everyone.
Discussing your contraception options with your GP or a sexual health provider is the best way to make sure you make the right choices.
Breastfeeding is one way to prevent ovarian cancer.
Having a baby can reduce your risk of developing ovarian cancer but, obviously, it is not that simple. Getting pregnant can be difficult in itself and that’s once you’ve decided you actually want to procreate.
If you do decide to start a family, breastfeeding your baby can further reduce your likeliness of developing ovarian cancer, so if you can and want to – breast is best!
Genetic testing is one way to prevent ovarian cancer.
Knowing your risk factors is crucial in preventing any type of cancer. If you have a family history of ovarian cancer, you might decide to get tested for specific genes that make you more vulnerable.
Genetic testing is a controversial topic, because of the life-changing effect that the result can have. For some people, the chance of a false-negative providing undue reassurance or a positive result causing stress is too intense for testing to be worthwhile.
The best way to decide if genetic testing is for you is to chat with your doctor about your family history and any other worries you have.
Preventative surgery is one way to prevent ovarian cancer.
If genetic testing indicates that you are at a high risk of developing any cancer, a preventative surgery can remove the organs in question.
For ovarian cancer, a doctor might recommend the removal of the ovaries and/or fallopian tubes.
While the surgical procedure lowers the cancer risk considerably, it will impact women differently depending on their age.
For women who have already had or do not intend to ever have children, the operation is major surgery that will improve their quality of life by reducing the cancer stress.
For women who are planning on having children in the future, removal of the ovaries will make this impossible naturally. For such women, the decision to undergo surgery is difficult, but some great news is that complete fertility loss can be avoided if the cancer is discovered early.
How to prevent ovarian cancer
Although there are ways to reduce your risk, there is currently no way to be certain that you will never develop ovarian cancer. Discuss prevention methods with your doctor to find out which methods – if any – are right for you.
Our next post will highlight the signs and symptoms to look out for because too often they are dismissed as other health problems.
Felicity Thompson