My Cause

Did you know....

Only 15% of women are familiar with the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
82% of women have never talked to their doctor about the symptoms and risk factors of ovarian cancer.
54% of women who haven’t spoken to their doctor about ovarian cancer don’t think it’s an issue since their doctor never initiated the discussion.
40% of women stated they are not sure about the risk factors of ovarian cancer

67% of women incorrectly believe that a yearly Pap test is effective in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Many women incorrectly identified the use of high dose estrogen without progesterone (35 percent) and extended use of the birth control pill (27 percent) as risk factors.
Women who have used oral contraceptives for three or more years have about a 30-50 percent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer.
53% of women are familiar with the symptoms of breast cancer while only 15% are familiar with the symptoms of ovarian.
59% of women have talked to their doctor about breast cancer; only 18% have talked to their doctor ovarian cancer.

In women age 35-74, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. An estimated one woman in 58 will develop ovarian cancer during her lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008, there will be 21,650 new cases of ovarian cancer and 15,520 women will die from ovarian cancer.
Because each woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer has a different profile, it is impossible to give a general prognosis. If diagnosed and treated early, when the cancer is confined to the ovary, the 5-year survival rate is over 90%. Unfortunately, due to ovarian cancer’s non-specific symptoms and lack of early detection tests, the only 19% of all cases are found at this early stage. If caught in stage III or higher, the survival rate can be as low as 29%.
(Source: American Cancer Society)

Ovarian Cancer is a silent cancer. It whispers, so listen.

Please go to http://www.ovarian.org/ and learn more about ovarian cancer. The symptons are very very difficult to detect in the early stages, and by the time a woman is suffering from the symptoms, it is usually detected in a late stage, where survival rates drop dramatically. Ladies, do your research, educate yourself, talk to your doctor, and please please heighten the awareness of this silent killer. We have done wonderful things for breast cancer, and look how dramatically education and survival rates have soared over the last 20 years. Let us not overlook ovarian cancer. Afterall, it is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths.

Look around the ovarian cancer website, look at the "Medical" and "Break the Silence" tabs on the left side bar. And for a treat, link to the marketplace at the bottom of the page, and check out the links to the cool jewelry and gorgeous notecards.

Thank you Kathi, www.lavenderlaceandthyme.blogspot.com for adding the Break the Silence icon and link (found here on my sidebar) to your blog.