To all of my ladies, mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends, ALL of my ladies please pay close attention. It doesn’t matter if you are sexually active or not. I hear so many women say well I’m not “gettin any” so I don’t need to see by OBGYN. Wait, what? If you have a uterus this disease can affect your life.
It is estimated that 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016 alone and nearly 64 percent of those women will die from the disease. Those are staggering numbers to me to suggest that more than half of the women diagnosed will lose their lives. Ovarian Cancer is a reason to be concerned. Many women have no idea they have it until often times it’s too late. How can you change that? You need to get regular pelvic exams aka your yearly exam. Do NOT skip this. Often times women think if they don’t “feel” bad then they are okay. This is bad business to play Russian Roulette with your life. Here are some signs of Ovarian Cancer: bloating, pelvic abdominal pain, eating and feeling full quickly, urinary symptoms such as urgency or frequency. The best way to find out if you or someone you love has the disease is to have a pelvic exam, trans-vaginal ultrasound and have the CA-125 blood work completed.
Many women who experience Ovarian Cancer will tell you that often times finding out early has saved their lives. Some women have also had to have full or partial hysterectomies. Ladies our reproductive health is important. As women we are nurtures but if we don’t take care of ourselves we won’t be here to take care of others. The Get Real with Teal campaign which is apart of the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation is all about getting women the resources they need to cope with the disease or to aid in women being more proactive in their reproductive health altogether. If you know of a woman in your life or if you are that woman and you can’t recall the date of your last pap smear, do me a favor and call your OBGYN today to make an appointment and go. Do NOT put this off until next week, next month, or even next year.
I know first hand what it’s like to have a loved one deal with cancer. Last year my own mom was touched by it and it emotionally it was a lot. She had to have 2 separate procedures and it seemed as if she was hit back to back and she was. I’m glad for her being proactive in getting tested. Had she not I hate to think of what her future would have been. For my men you have a great responsibility to encourage the women in your life to get tested. You can help them to be on top of their reproductive health by just being a strong presence. This disease is major in women’s health. As cures are still being sought and more and more women are losing their battle, never forget to care about yourself. You are your own greatest wealth. I just recently had mine done and because of the history in my family I have made sure to get the blood test as well as the pelvic exam and I am happy to report that all is well. When my daughters get in their reproductive years I will encourge and take them to do the same. Ovarian cancer has nothing to do with sex it has to do with making sure you have are healthy.
I will be doing more features of women who have battled ovarian cancer all month long. We need to hear their stories of bravery and I will feature them all month long. So let’s make those calls ladies.
Also all month long you will see more women with teal showing their support. I have started with my ToiTime Instagram to raise awareness. I will feature it all month long in various ways to get more women actively talking about their reproductive health. Please join me by using the following as a sign that you stand united with all of the women who are in this fight against ovarian cancer!
