Ovarian cancer is among the deadliest gynecologic cancers, in large part because it's so difficult to detect early. Its symptoms are subtle and easy to mistake for something else, so many people are diagnosed at a later stage. Early detection can improve outcomes, but it's not always possible. This September, join us in learning, sharing, and supporting the research that could change that. Together, we can work toward earlier detection and better outcomes.
The Need for More Research
Ovarian cancer's outlook is closely tied to how early it's found. Current SEER data show a five-year relative survival of about 92 percent when ovarian cancer is localized, compared with about 32 percent when it has spread to distant sites. That number drops considerably at later stages, which is exactly when most ovarian cancers are currently diagnosed. One important way to improve outcomes is to find better ways to detect the disease sooner, and that depends on continued research.
Gynecologic cancers as a group have long received disproportionately low federal research funding when measured against how many years of life they cost. A published analysis of National Cancer Institute data from 2007–2014 found that ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers ranked relatively low among 18 cancer sites when research funding was compared with measures of cancer lethality. More recent NIH categorical-spending data show approximately $177 million in ovarian cancer research funding in 2025, compared with $188 million in 2020. Vaginal cancer received approximately $2 million in 2025, while vulvar and fallopian-tube cancers do not appear as separate categories in NIH's categorical-spending table. These categories can overlap and do not represent fixed disease-specific research budgets.
Fewer research dollars can mean fewer opportunities to study early detection, disease biology, and new treatments. Advocating for ovarian cancer, and for women's health research more broadly, is one of the most concrete ways to move the needle.
In honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, that advocacy can look like: sharing accurate information, supporting organizations funding gynecologic cancer research, or simply asking your representatives what they're doing to close the funding disparity.
More on Ovarian Cancer
So what exactly are we asking for better research on? Ovarian epithelial, fallopian-tube, and primary peritoneal cancers arise from closely related tissues and are generally staged and treated similarly, which is why they are often discussed together.
The ovaries themselves are two small, almond-shaped organs on either side of the uterus. They store eggs and produce estrogen and progesterone.
Most ovarian cancers, roughly 85 to 90 percent, are epithelial cancers. Research now suggests that many high-grade serous cancers—the most common epithelial subtype—may actually begin in precursor cells in the fimbrial end of the fallopian tube. The rest develop in germ cells or stromal cells, which is why you may hear ovarian cancer described as having several distinct types.
There's no single known cause. Most ovarian cancers are not inherited, but hereditary genetics are clinically important: roughly one-quarter of ovarian, fallopian-tube, and primary peritoneal cancers are associated with a heritable cancer-predisposition condition. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the best-known genes involved, but variants in other genes, including BRIP1, RAD51C, and RAD51D, can also increase risk.
What makes ovarian cancer especially hard to catch is what happens next: there is currently no recommended effective screening test for people at average risk who do not have symptoms. CA-125 blood testing and transvaginal ultrasound have been studied as screening tools, but they have not been shown to reduce ovarian cancer mortality when used routinely in average-risk, asymptomatic people. When someone has symptoms or an abnormal finding, however, a pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound, and CA-125 may be used as part of a diagnostic evaluation. Imaging and blood tests can raise or lower suspicion, but confirmation generally requires examination of tumor tissue by a pathologist.
That combination, vague symptoms and no early screening tool, is why so many diagnoses happen later than anyone would want, and why the research gap above matters so much.
What to Watch For
Symptoms are often vague, and the pattern matters more than any single one. Pay attention to changes that are new, persistent, and not explained by your cycle:
- Bloating or abdominal swelling
- Pelvic or abdominal pain
- Feeling full quickly or difficulty eating
- Urinary urgency or frequency
- Ongoing fatigue, back pain, changes in bowel habits, or pain with sex
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding, particularly bleeding after menopause
Most of the time, these can have other explanations. But when they are new, occur frequently, or persist for two weeks or longer—especially when they are different from your normal pattern—they're worth a conversation with your provider.
Conversations to Have With Your Provider
- Share your family history. Ask specifically about ovarian, fallopian-tube, peritoneal, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers in relatives, and whether genetic counseling or testing for inherited cancer-risk genes makes sense for you.
- Bring a symptom log. Note what you're feeling, how often, and for how long.
- Ask what's been ruled out. "What else could this be, and what's the next step if it doesn't resolve?"
- Ask about imaging and bloodwork. If symptoms persist, ask whether a pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound, or CA-125 test is appropriate for your symptoms and individual risk.
How Good Clean Clinical Care Can Help
Treatment for ovarian cancer—including surgery that removes the ovaries, chemotherapy, and other cancer therapies—can leave lasting changes in the vaginal and vulvar environment. For people who have not yet reached menopause, removal of the ovaries causes an abrupt loss of ovarian hormone production. Loss of estrogen support can thin and dry the tissue, disrupt the vaginal microbiome, and make ordinary sensations like intimacy or daily movement uncomfortable. These aren't cosmetic side effects, they reflect real physiological changes, and are very common among cancer survivors.
Good Clean Clinical Care approaches these symptoms by first asking whether they stem from tissue changes, hormonal status, microbiome disruption, prior antimicrobial exposure, inflammation, pain, infection, or a combination of these, rather than automatically assuming another infection, since many patients have already tried repeated rounds of antifungals or antibiotics without relief.
Care may include non-hormonal barrier support, microbiome-supportive approaches, treatment directed at inflammation or pain, carefully reviewed hormone-aware options, including local hormonal therapy when clinically appropriate, all built around your specific history and biology.
For anyone with a history of ovarian or other gynecologic cancer, hormone options should be individualized based on cancer type, histology, hormone sensitivity, treatment history, and guidance from the patient's oncology and healthcare team.