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Five years ago, former Olympic gymnast, Shannon Miller began to experience unusual physical symptoms without any apparent cause: she was experiencing bad stomachaches and constantly felt bloated. On top of it all, she’d also lost six pounds.
Miller initially assumed that her stomach symptoms derived from general period discomfort and the weight loss was simply baby weight that she was continuing to lose after the birth of her son, Rocco. Regardless, Miller paid a visit to the doctor.
It was the decision that saved her life.
Miller had ovarian cancer. Her doctor had discovered a large cyst on her ovary. Miller was immediately told to undergo surgery and chemotherapy, and has now, thankfully, been cancer-free for the five years.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), ovarian cancer is the deadliest form of female reproductive cancer. 94% of patients can, however, live longer than five years if their cancer is caught in its early stages.
But only 20% of ovarian cancer cases are caught in these preliminary stages.
Early cancers do not typically show any symptoms and the only noticeable symptoms – stomach pain, bloating, weight loss, and increased need to urinate – can generally be confused with symptoms of other illnesses. This makes it difficult for women to determine whether or not they actually need to seek out medical help.
Dr. Linus Chuang, professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, clarifies that cancer symptoms “are more common in frequency, worse progressively, and recur more frequently.” He places emphasis on recurrence and progression; these are the two biggest indicators of cancer, and not other illnesses.
If you’re at all concerned, seek out your doctor. Doctors can conduct pelvic exams and blood tests to determine with certainty whether or not you have ovarian cancer. Miller knows she “was lucky [her] doctors caught [her cancer] early. But [she] doesn’t want other women to count on [her] luck.”
