PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Less than 1 in 100 women will die from ovarian cancer this year but it’s still a disease that brings fear because there are rarely any warning signs when it’s in the early stages and curable.
Risk factors include family history, the BRCA gene mutation, never having children or having children later in life and also a woman’s age.
The average age for a diagnosis of ovarian cancer is 61.
“Other than that it’s hard to predict who’s going to get ovarian cancer, but there’s several ways that we have now to reduce the risk,” said gynecologist Dr. Emilio Juncosa said. “Birth control pills, oral contraceptives, and the progesterone IUD both put the ovaries to sleep and reduce ovarian activity and there are recent studies that suggest the use of birth control pills or IUDs will reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.”
Juncosa said recent discoveries suggest that as many as 50% of ovarian cancers might be cancer of the fallopian tubes.
As a result, some physicians are now removing the fallopian tubes during sterilization procedures instead of tying them off in place.
Coffee affecting your skin?
In other health news, while there are many documented benefits to drinking coffee, in some cases it can have a negative effect on your skin.
While coffee is a source of antioxidants that are beneficial for the skin, adding milk or sugar to it may make acne and oily skin worse.
Caffeine, sugar and milk may cause insulin levels to spike which studies suggest could cause acne flare-ups.
Researchers say many people also don’t realize they’re consuming other sources of caffeine, sugar and dairy, which could compound skin problems.