Women's Health

The 7 Biggest Ovarian Cancer Myths

There are no screening tests for ovarian cancer

There are no screening tests for ovarian cancer

Another huge issue is that there are often thought to be no ways to screen for ovarian cancer. Although it is much more difficult to screen for than most cancers, there still are ways you can be tested. Doctors have previously used CA-125, which tests for a certain protein found in ovarian cancer patients. Sadly, this test is often unreliable and has given many false results. Doctors are thankfully beginning to replace this test with OVA1, which is showing some decent results in detecting ovarian cancer. Most of these tests are only done after an ultrasound to confirm there is an abnormal pelvic mass, so you are unlikely to get any of these tests done until doctors confirm you have one of these masses. We do want to mention a common misconception among women that the pap test screen for ovarian cancer. This is false and should never be relied upon if you believe you might be at risk for ovarian cancer. The same can be said of the HPV vaccine, which is also falsely assumed to test for ovarian cancer.