Help Eradicate Ovarian Cancer and Support Those Diagnosed

While most of us have known at least one woman with breast cancer, we may not know a woman who is struggling with ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer -- deemed a "silent killer" due to its difficulty to diagnose -- will be identified in more than 21,000 women this year in the United States alone . More than 15,000 women will die from the disease. Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the US and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among US women.

Common symptoms include bloating, pelvic and/or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency). Several other symptoms commonly reported by women with ovarian cancer include fatigue, indigestion, back pain, pain with intercourse, constipation, and menstrual irregularities.

These symptoms are not as useful in identifying ovarian cancer as they are also frequently found in women in the general population who do not have ovarian cancer. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.

By raising much needed funds, we can help turn the tides of support for many women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. If caught early, it is generally survivable. A good friend of mine, Melissa, was diagnosed at the age of 29. Because the cancer was found early and had not progressed she managed to go on to lead a wonderful life as the mother of a two year old (post cancer) and is presently pregnant with her second child.

There are success stories out there and we at Seventh Generation are proud to help support Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month this September. For every person that visits www.letstalkperiod.com and registers their email address throughout the month, we will donate $1 on their behalf to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, up to $10,000, to help support women suffering from ovarian cancer.

Please also share your stories with us below. And please share this unique opportunity to participate in a life-changing force of action.

Help us be a part of the solution. Someone's life depends on it.

Comments (5)

sherirs04

Fri, Sep. 10, 2010

Thank you for spreading the word

My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year. She underwent 6 treatments of chemo and found out last month that she is in remission. This is a VERY AGGRESSIVE form of cancer. She went one month between her sugery and switching doctors and the cancer grew dramatically. She was almost a stage 4 at the time of surgery! One thing that needs to change is the type of yearly tests that women do at their OB visits. The pelvic exam that they do is not enough. By the time they feel something, it has already progressed to a stage 3! I will now have an ultrasound done along with my yearly visits. Also,if your insurance will pay, there is a genetic test called the BRAC test to see if you carry the gene for ovarian cancer. There is hope. Because without modern medicine, my mom would not be here today to see her two grandchildren. Thank you!

mensamo

Fri, Sep. 10, 2010

OvCa Survivor

I just passed 3 years, advanced ovarian cancer. It was very difficult getting the diagnosis when I kept complaining that "I don't go to doctors, but I'm here because I know something isn't right. I've gained a lot of weight, and diet and exercise isn't stopping it, I'm tired, sleeping 10-12 hours, sometimes more. I have a cough that won't stop." It took 1 1/2 years to get a diagnosis, by then it had spread. But with the help of a wonderful OBGYN who found it and her immediate action to get an amazing gynecological oncologist surgeon to operate within a few days, I'm here to tell about it. No chemo, no radiation, and not much to notice in scars. Things sure have changed, for the better, in some ways.

L37Sallym

Fri, Sep. 10, 2010

I respect your intent...

...but I cannot support the current methods and directions of cancer research. There has been no significant progress in cancer research of any kind in the past 20 years or so. The current treatments are toxic and carcinogenic themselves. The survival rates have not gone up and if you look at the research, the survival rates for those who refuse treatment are often the same as for those who undergo these devastating treatments (chemo & radiation). Big Pharma will not do the necessary research on any natural cures because there is no profit in them. If you research it, you will find story after story of people who, after they were told the doctors could not help them - they should go get their things in order, tried one "natural cure" or another because they had nothing to lose, and low and behold, were healed!! The National Cancer Institute and the FDA have been trying to stop and even imprison one of the doctors who has been successfully treating various types of cancer for the past 15+ years and trying to get it approved. Dr. Burzynsky of the Burzynsky clinic in Houston, Texas. He has been indited 4 times and 4 times found not guilty. He has been brought before congress and his patients have flocked from all over the nation to testify on his behalf. Why isn't his work being funded?? (He is only one example). The current medical institution does not really want to find a natural cure for cancer. The Chemo industry is too big and too profitable to replace. I will not donate one penny towards the current cancer research. And yes, I do have loved ones who have been stricken with this terrible disease.

kminch

Thu, Sep. 09, 2010

my story

I just want to say that I now love Seventh Generation even more than I already did. I am considered a high risk for ovarian cancer. I had one of my ovaries removed because there was a tumor on it that ended up being borderline cancerous. They had no way of telling this until they removed it and actually looked at it. The standard procedure is to have the other ovary and the uterus removed. I didn't have it done at the time because I wasn't done having kids. My ob/gyn wants me to have the rest of my "parts" removed, but I can't do it right now. My husband is out of a job and we have no health insurance. So I just wait and pray that there is not any cancer hanging around in there. I have blood tests every month and no symptoms (except fatigue, but that can be for other reasons), so I feel that I'm o.k. for now, but there really is no way to tell for sure. This is my story. Thanks, Seventh Generation for getting behind this cause.

Thu, Sep. 09, 2010

google talc

talc may be a cause of this - google to confirm and avoid it.

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