Middle-aged women with abdominal distension for more than half a month need to be screened for ovarian cancer

Ms. Qi started to experience abdominal distension a month ago. At first, she thought it was a stomach problem and bought a lot of digestive and stomach medicines. However, the symptoms of abdominal distension did not improve, and her abdomen grew rapidly. In half a month, Ms. Qi's abdomen was like a pregnant woman in her fourth month. Ms. Qi went to the hospital for a check-up and was eventually diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Women like Ms. Qi who have abdominal distension often go to the gastroenterology department for examination, but rarely think of going to the gynecology department for examination, so they are easily misdiagnosed. In fact, many ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed in the gastroenterology department. The reason why ovarian cancer patients have abdominal distension symptoms is that the cancer grows rapidly, spreads easily, and is difficult to detect in the early stages. When the cancer grows gradually and compresses and stretches the surrounding ligaments, coupled with the stimulation of ascites, it will cause patients to experience symptoms of digestive tract diseases such as stomach pain and abdominal distension.

How to distinguish abdominal distension caused by digestive tract diseases from that caused by ovarian cancer? Abdominal distension caused by digestive tract diseases is often accompanied by belching and heartburn, and often occurs after meals. It can be relieved by taking gastrokinetic drugs or digestive drugs; but abdominal distension caused by ovarian cancer is ineffective even after repeated use of digestive drugs, and is accompanied by waist and abdominal pain, or a mass in the abdomen. Therefore, female friends over 40 years old need to go to the hospital for ovarian cancer examinations if they have abdominal distension for more than half a month.