Those who have/had OVCA, how did you know and how often did you have symptoms?

[Molly123]

Are the symptoms daily? I have the bloating, tugging pain in right ovary, pelvic pressure the week before my period on through my period but then it goes away. I have a pelvic ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning but I was curious anyway. TIA

[Lizza]

May I ask what your CA levels where before surgery?

[Crickie]

I agree with Susan. Having an ultrasound and seeing your gyno is a must. I also had those symptons for some time. I went to see general doctors who diagnosed my back pain as: muscular, bladder infections, one said it was all in my mind, another said it was the beginning of menopause (at 41). I was given antibiotics (that kind of helped). But my back pains got worse (I later found out it was due to a large tumor from my vagina to my rectum that was the cause), I started bleeding one morning but not the "period" kind, I knew it wasn't right but the doctor had said it was normal for premenopausal women. I made an appointment with my gyno when I reached the point that having bowel movements made me scream out in pain. Had I known then what I know now....I urge all women to listen to your bodies. Wishing you all the best...

[SusanBaltimore]

Mind were not necessarily daily at first, but did increase slowly over time (maybe over a year). I had increased pain on menstruation (but still manageable with ibuprophen), then pain at ovulation too, and later some breakthrough bleeding, which at age 39 I had never had before. In general I had lower abdominal discomfort and suspected maybe I had a cyst or fibroid and made an appointment to see about it. Later I had bloating (I attributed it to constipation because I had that too), followed by serious back pain (I attributed that to heavy lifting because I had just moved house)and finally vomiting that would not stop. I also, later, suddenly found many things hard to digest, e.g. red wine gave me heartburn, and fatty foods. I also felt full very quickly, but again more towards the end when I was diagnosed, the last week or two. I landed in the emergency room for the persistent vomiting on the day I was scheduled for a pelvic exam, and was diagnosed via CT scan there instead. If you have ANY doubts, see a specialist. If they dismiss you too quickly, go see another. I thought I had a strained back and maybe a cyst, as my sister has had ovarian cysts. Then I thought maybe an ulcer too, but at that point it's really starting to be too many coincidences to be true. It never occurred to me for a second that it was anything worse than those ordinary things, but I was wrong and should have seen a doctor sooner. Yours could easily still be something benign (my symptoms at first sounded like my sister's, so I wasn't too worried), but you should definitely get checked out.