When you are healthy and young, cancer is the last thing on your mind. While it’s true that most of the reproductive cancers occur after menopause, they can strike you even when you are youthful. In fact, irrespective of family history and age, every year, approx. 90,000 US women are diagnosed with some kind of reproductive cancer. If this is the number in the United States alone, imagine how many women around the world are battling gynecologic cancers at the moment! That explains why it’s important to know the signs of reproductive cancer in women to maximize the chances of getting cured. So, this article will educate you about the types, symptoms, screenings, and prevention of reproductive cancer.
Gynaecological Cancers: An Overview
Reproductive cancers in women begin in the organs that are related to the process of reproduction like vagina, fallopian tubes, endometrium, ovaries, etc. Most of these organs are present in the pelvic region, the area in your lower abdomen between your hip bones. The common types of gynecological cancers are cervical cancer, breast cancer, vaginal cancer, vulval cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer.
Types of Gynecologic Cancer & Their Signs
Let’s understand each type of reproductive cancer and its symptoms separately.
1. Cervical Cancer
The fourth most common type of cancer in women is cervical cancer which killed 342,000 women in 2020. It affects the cervix and at the beginning, does not cause symptoms. However, as it keeps growing, the affected woman may experience these symptoms:
- Pain or pressure during intercourse
- Heavy flow during periods and periods lasting longer than regular cycles
- Bleeding after having sex
- Bleeding even after the woman has gone through menopause
- Bloody and watery discharge from the vagina accompanied by a foul smell
If you experience some of the above-mentioned symptoms, you should book an appointment with a clinic/ hospital for cervical cancer screening.
2. Uterine Sarcomas
When abnormal cells begin developing in the uterus and they grow out of control, this condition is called uterine cancer. Uterine cancer can be of two types: uterine sarcoma and endometrial cancer. Uterine sarcomas affect the myometrium (muscle tissue) and it is a rare kind of uterine cancer. Some of the causes of uterine sarcomas are having diabetes or high BP, being overweight, opting for hormone replacement therapy, having PCOS, and having Lynch syndrome. But what are the uterine cancer signs?
- heavier than usual periods or a change in your periods
- vaginal bleeding between periods
- periods that continue without a break.
Less common signs and symptoms include:
- a watery discharge, which may have an unpleasant smell.
- unexplained weight loss
- difficulty urinating or a change in bowel habit
- abdominal pain.
3. Ovarian Cancer
Growth of cancerous cells in a person’s ovaries is called ovarian cancer. The symptoms of it are not severe and it quickly spreads to the stomach and pelvis. Following are the ovarian cancer symptoms:
- Alterations in appetite (feeling too hungry or not hungry at all)
- Feeling bloated or having a swollen tummy
- Feeling full even after eating less
- Tenderness and pain in the tummy and the pelvis
- The urge to pee urgently and peeing more often
- Persistent pelvic pain
- Constipation, diarrhea, indigestion
- Back pain
- Exhaustion even after getting sufficient rest
- Vaginal bleeding
- Weight loss
All of these symptoms are akin to the symptoms of general illnesses. So, most women fail to realize that they may have ovarian cancer. By the time the cancer is detected, treatment can be challenging and ovarian cancers spreads fast. So, pelvic exam importanceis immense as it can detect these kinds of cancer.
4. Vaginal Cancer
Vaginal cancer commences in the vagina and there are various kinds of vaginal cancer such as squamous cell carcinoma, sarcoma, adenocarcinoma, and vaginal melanoma. The obvious symptoms of vaginal cancer are:
- Brown or rusty colored urine
- Waking up multiple times at night to pass urine
- Urine that has blood
- Pain in the rectum or pelvic region
- Bloody discharge from vagina
- Bleeding and uneasiness after having sex
5. Breast cancer
Every 2 minutes, someone in the United States gets diagnosed with this type of cancer. In 2020, breast cancer caused 685,000 deaths.
Some of the major symptoms that people with breast cancer have are:
- Bloody or abnormal fluid discharging from the nipple
- A lump on the breast – with or without pain
- Redness, pitting, dimpling, or other sudden changes in the breast skin
- Change in the appearance of the nipple or the skin around the nipple
Note: Breast lumps can be cancerous or non-cancerous. So, the moment you notice a lump, you should seek immediate medical attention even if there is no pain. Your doctor may recommend mammography forbreast cancer.
6. Vulvar Cancer
The vulva is the skin that encircles the vagina and urethra. So, vulvar cancer occurs on the female genitalia’s outer surface. Older adults are more at risk of getting vulvar cancer and its symptoms are:
- Soreness in the vulva
- Itching that does not seem to go away
- Tenderness and pain
- Skin changes like thickening or color changes
- Lump or wartlike bumps
- Open ulcers/ sores
- Bleeding
To treat vulvar cancer, surgery is a preferable method, and the doctor removes part or whole of the vulva.
7. Endometrial Cancer
95% of uterine cancers are cases of endometrial cancer. Now have a look at the symptoms of endometrial cancer:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding is something that 90% of ladies experience when they have endometrial cancer. This could include bleeding during/ after having coitus or bleeding even when not on periods. After undergoing menopause, even mild spotting must be evaluated.
- Abdominal discomfort such as indigestion, pressure, cramps, gas, and bloating can also be indicative of endometrial cancer.
- Dark vaginal discharge with a foul smell is generally a sign of vaginal infections. However, it among the warning signs of endometrial cancer.
The good thing about endometrial cancer is that the symptoms are visible even during stage I. Treatments of it include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery that involves removal of the uterus.
Cancer Prevention with HPV Vaccine
The HPV (human papillomavirus) is a sexually transmitted infection and while some HPVs are low-risk, others are high-risk. If high-risk strains of this virus enter a woman’s body, her risks of developing reproductive cancers like cervical cancer and vaginal cancer increases significantly.
HPV vaccination, that is effective and safe, can protect females against health problems (including cancers and genital warts) caused by the notorious human papillomavirus.
Parting Thoughts
We may conclude by saying that paying attention to changes in your reproductive system will help you recognize the early signs of reproductive cancer in women. And now you know what signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and other gynecologic cancers you should not take lightly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the common signs of reproductive cancers in women?
Smelly and bloody discharge from the vagina, postmenopausal bleeding, vaginal bleeding while having intercourse, intense pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen, bleeding between periods, lump in the breast, extreme indigestion, loss of appetite, sudden weight loss, and constant fatigue are some top signs of reproductive cancer in women.
Q. How can early detection strategies improve outcomes for female cancers?
For most female reproductive cancers, the chances of cure and survival are the highest if diagnosed in the 1st stage. That’s because early detection of female cancers through screening tests (like BRCA gene testing) stops the cancer from spreading to other body parts and the cure becomes less complicated with chemotherapy and conventional surgery.
