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If you're worried you might have ovarian cancer, see your doctor. Diagnosing ovarian cancer early gives you the best chance for a cure.

Ovarian cancer is quite rare, so your doctor may not think of it as the reason for your symptoms right away. Be sure to tell your doctor if someone in your family has had this cancer because that can increase your risk.

To find out if you could have ovarian cancer, your doctor might do some or all of the following.

• Ask about your symptoms, your past illnesses and operations, and your family's health.
• Do a physical exam, including listening to your lungs and feeling your abdomen.
• Do a pelvic exam. This is an exam of your vaginal area. After looking at the outside, the doctor will insert a small piece of plastic or metal into your vagina to look at the inside. Then he or she will check that your fallopian tubes, womb and ovaries feel normal.
• Do an ultrasound scan to see the organs inside your abdomen and pelvis.
• Do a rectal exam. During this exam, your doctor puts a finger into your rectum to feel for anything unusual in your pelvis.
• Do a blood test to see how much CA 125 you have. CA 125 is a protein in your blood. Women with ovarian cancer tend to have lots of it. So if you have high levels of CA 125, it could mean that you have early ovarian cancer. But other things can give you a high level, too.
• If you have a build-up of fluid in your abdomen or chest, your doctor may take some of this fluid and test it for cancer. Fluid can build up in these areas if cancer cells spread to the lining of your abdomen or chest. The lining becomes damaged and makes fluid to try to soothe it. Before collecting some of the fluid, your doctor will give you a painkiller to numb the area (a local anesthetic). Then your doctor will use a small needle to collect fluid. Later, this will be checked under a microscope for cancer.

Your doctor probably won't be able to say for sure if you have ovarian cancer after these tests. The only way to tell for sure is to do an operation and look at your ovaries. So if your doctor thinks you could have ovarian cancer, you will need to have surgery. To learn more, see Surgery to check for ovarian cancer.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.