If you're experiencing the symptoms of ovarian cancer your GP should do a CA125 blood test. A small sample of blood will be taken from your arm and sent to a lab where they will measure the level of a protein called CA125 in your blood.
Depending on the results of this blood test or if you're still experiencing symptoms, you may be sent for an ultrasound scan of your tummy and ovaries. An ultrasound scan creates a picture of the tissues and organs inside your body. Sometimes these tests are arranged at the same time.
If the results of the tests suggest ovarian cancer might be a possibility, you'll be referred to see a specialist called a gynaecological oncologist for further tests.
- When should I request these tests?
If you have symptoms of ovarian cancer, you should ask your GP about having a CA125 blood test. The main symptoms of ovarian cancer are:
- persistent bloating (pooing more or less often than normal)
- feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
- pain in your tummy or pelvis (the area between your hip bones)
- needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual .
Sometimes there can be other symptoms:
- a change in your bowel habits (diarrhoea or constipation)
- fatigue (feeling very tired)
- losing weight without trying
- unusual bleeding from the vagina before the menopause or any bleeding from the vagina after the menopause.
Contact your GP surgery if you have one or more of these symptoms and they don’t go away or happen frequently (such as more than 12 times a month or 3 times a week).
Tell your GP if one or more relative in your close family has had cancer especially if the cancer affected your mother, father, brother or sister. This is because ovarian cancer can run in families.
