Since we’ve left our periods behind and our female organs no longer bear children, we marvelously mature gals may not think much about our gynecologic plumbing—even though seemingly “dormant,” it can still cause problems.
Fact: Women over age 60 are at increased risk for gynecologic cancers. More specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says “about 90% of women who get ovarian cancer are older than 40 years of age, with the greatest number of cases occurring in women aged 60 years or older.” There’s a lot to know about older women and ovarian cancer.
Case in point: I had the honor of interviewing Fran Drescher last week for my Parade.com Mind Your Body feature, and was so impressed with not only her talent, but her philanthropy. She’s a uterine cancer survivor, and she founded Cancer Schmancer to encourage prevention and early detection. She developed this terrific Cheat Sheet with points we can take away about ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers.
Ovarian cancer facts
This week I received the infographic you see below here. Full disclosure: It’s sponsored by OVA1®, “the first FDA-cleared blood test that helps evaluate an ovarian mass for malignancy prior to planned surgery.” I was not paid to run this information. I think it’s well presented and a strong reminder about being proactive when it comes to your female health.
As you’ll see, the news about ovarian cancer isn’t great—numbers are not declining. The infographic cites lack of insurance coverage as one reason. Now with insurance available to everyone under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I hope that dynamic and many others will change soon.
Take a quick “squizz” at this and I hope you take away something valuable. Ask your primary care doctor or gynecologist how often you should be screened for gynecologic cancers, for sadly, it seems, “you’re never too old.” Like Drescher says, prevention and early detection are so important to maintain your good health.
