Today, because of advanced medical technologies, people have improved their health because of early screening of various dangerous diseases like cancer. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Diagnosing early and treating this disease helps reduce the threat it poses. Cancer has become a common disease that gets its hands on people. Each year, almost 90,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer, such as endometrial (also known as uterine cancer), ovarian cancer, or cervical cancer. More than 242,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. It occurs due to a lack of treatment provided at an early stage. Identifying some common cancer warning signs in women can help us improve the well-being of women with early diagnosis. However, it will never cross your mind that cancer might be on your radar, regardless of your age or medical history. In this article, we will shed some light on a few symptoms and signs in women that will help identify and treat cancer at an early stage.
Subtle cancer warning signs in women:
Cancer is one of the most severe diseases, and if not treated on time, it can pose a crucial threat to the health of an individual. So, we have listed down a few cancer warning signs in women that could be the key to saving many lives, as these symptoms could be easy to identify.
1. Abnormal Vaginal Bleed:
Women do have irregular cramps or periods occasionally, but an ongoing pain or change in their cycle can be symptoms of ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, or endometrial cancer.
2. Unexplained Weight loss:
Sometimes our weight goes up and down, getting a few pounds off by working out and dieting is a good sign. But losing weight more than usual when you are trying to can be an alert for you.
3. Changes in Bathroom habits:
Consistent urge to urinate and pressure on balder unless you are drinking more liquids or you are pregnant could be another warning sign to show an indication of cancer.
4. Changes in your breast:
The most common cancer in women is breast cancer, which can be identified by women. There are a few indicators, such as lumps on armpits or breasts.
5. Skin changes:
Changes that occur and the appearance of a mole or birthmark can be a sign of skin cancer. If not given necessary attention could elevate further. These marks could be irregular or non-identical and could not look similar to the other ones.
6. Stomach pain or nausea:
The stomach pain could be an indicator of various things. But if it continues for several weeks, then it could be one of the cancer warning signs in women for liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, or digestive system cancer.
7. Unusual lumps:
A new lump or a mass could be a direct symptom of cancer in your body as it grows in unusual parts of your body. It should be given proper medical attention to understand it and treat it well.
8. Frequent fever or infections:
Getting a fever constantly or getting one infection after another could indicate a weak immune system that could be a sign that your body shows to get a check-up for any order activities.
9. Excessive bruising:
Getting a lot of bruising on unusual places of your body could be an indicator of blood cancer and could pose a serious threat to your well-being if not treated or given medical attention on time.
10. Difficulty in swallowing:
Some food items can be a little hard to swallow at times. But if you are experiencing any discomfort or difficulty in swallowing, it could be a sign of throat cancer, lung cancer, or stomach cancer.
What’s the next step?
After learning about a few symptoms and signs things. It could be difficult to navigate. It can be stressful or confusing for some people. But by understanding how thing you can overcome this situation. Since you might have identified a few symptoms in an early stage. It would ease the course of treatment. Here are some steps to follow and the right thing to do after diagnosis.
1. Learn as much as possible:
Knowledge can be the biggest weapon. You do your research and figure out some ways to understand the situation in detail.
2. Ask about follow-up test:
Just to be sure, you can consult with another care provider to get a second opinion. You can help the doctors run a few more tests on you to build a roadmap of treatment to be provided.
3. Form a care team:
You can build a group of experts from various departments like oncologists, social workers, dieticians, pharmacists, psychologists, and Clergy. You can get more insight about your condition.
4. Explore treatment options:
After consulting with the doctor, they will recommend certain options when it comes to treatment such as chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, immunotherapy, or stem cell therapy. Look out for the option that is comfortable for you.
5. Practice self-care:
Going through the treatments and tests can take a toll on you. It is not going to be an easy process at times. You have to also prioritize your mental health in this process by managing stress or improving your appetite.
6. Line up Practical and personal help:
You can seek help not just from medical professionals but also from getting support of your family and friends. They will help you be at ease and make you feel better.
7. Looking into community programs:
You look for a non-profit organization to get financial aid in time of need during your cancer treatment. Get a support group to understand more from people sharing the same experiences from understanding the cancer warning signs in women to get the treatment started.
Conclusion:
Cancer can be a severe disease to get through. However, identifying them and starting the treatment earliest can help make the process of treating this condition easy. Understanding some of the common cancer warning signs in women can help you save your loved one or seek help for yourself. With the advancement in today’s medical field, treating these serious conditions if caught early has been very convenient.
