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Ovarian cancer

What is ovarian cancer? Find out how common it is, the causes, and expert advice on how to reduce your risk.

Ovaries

What is ovarian cancer?

Women have 2 ovaries, one on each side of the body. They are part of the reproductive system. The ovaries are connected to the womb (uterus) by the fallopian tubes.

The ovaries produce an egg (ova) each month. If the egg is fertilised, the woman becomes pregnant. The ovaries also produce the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

Anyone with ovaries can get ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer develops if cells in the ovary start to change and grow abnormally. There are 3 types of ovarian tissue that can produce cancers:

  1. epithelial cells, which cover the ovary
  2. stromal cells, which produce hormones
  3. germ cells, which become eggs

About 85–90% of ovarian cancers are in epithelial cells.

It’s possible to get ovarian cancer even if you’ve had your ovaries removed. This is because ovarian cancer can also affect your fallopian tubes, or the lining inside your tummy (peritoneum).

How common is ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer is the 14th most common cancer in the UK (2021 data), and the 18th most common in the world (2022 data).

Ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cancer in women in the UK, and the 8th most common in women globally.

Region Cases Year
UK 7,050 2021
World 324,603 2022
Sources: UK cancer statistics based on combined data from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. World Cancer Research Fund, 2024. International cancer statistics from Globocan.

What are the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Symptoms of ovarian cancer include frequently (around 12 or more times a month) having:

  • a swollen tummy or feeling bloated
  • pain or tenderness in your tummy or the area between the hips (pelvis)
  • no appetite or feeling full quickly after eating
  • an urgent need to wee or needing to wee more often

Find more information on ovarian cancer symptoms on the NHS website.

Help for you

Our free health guides and cookbooks are written by experts to help more people prevent and survive cancer. Order yours today!

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For anyone who wants to manage their weight. Today’s environment can make weight gain easier and weight loss harder but there are lots of positive things you can do.

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People sometimes think that cancer is caused by bad luck or genes. However, the positive message of this booklet is that every woman can do something to reduce her cancer risk.

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Our guide is for people wanting to make healthy changes but aren’t sure where to start. Order today for real-life advice, practical tips and a handy guide that you can keep in your bag to browse.

What causes ovarian cancer?

There are many different things that affect your risk of ovarian cancer.

Evidence for what can cause ovarian cancer comes from large population studies (called epidemiology) and biological studies (where scientists look at cells in a laboratory).

If the risk factors below affect you, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will develop ovarian cancer.

Weight 

Women living with overweight or obesity have a higher risk of ovarian cancer.  

> Get a free Weight matters guide 

Smoking

Smoking tobacco increases the risk of ovarian cancer.

HRT

Taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) slightly increases the risk of ovarian cancer, but the risk decreases gradually once you stop. 

> HRT and cancer risk 

Family history 

Women with a family history of ovarian or bowel cancer have a higher risk of ovarian cancer.  

About 5–10% of ovarian cancers are due to genetics. Ovarian cancers caused by the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are usually harder to treat. 

Menstrual cycles 

The risk of ovarian cancer is affected by how many periods a woman has during her lifetime.  

Not having children, having your first period before the age of 12 and having the menopause after the age of 55 all increase the risk of ovarian cancer, because they all increase the number of menstrual cycles a woman has. 

Height 

Taller women have a higher risk of ovarian cancer.  

Age

The risk of developing ovarian cancer increases with age. More than half of cases in the UK are in women aged 65 or over.

What protects against ovarian cancer?

Menstrual cycles 

The risk of ovarian cancer is affected by how many periods a woman has during her lifetime.  

Having children, having your first period after the age of 12, and having your menopause before the age of 55 all decrease the risk of ovarian cancer, because they all decrease the number of menstrual cycles a woman has. 

Contraception 

Oral contraceptives reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. 

Sterilisation (tubal ligation) also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. 

Other risk factors

Our Expert Panel of scientists has also looked at other things that may be linked with the risk of ovarian cancer. They found that breastfeeding may decrease the risk of ovarian cancer. However, the evidence for a link is less strong than the risk factors listed above.

For scientists: full references, pathogenesis and a summary of the mechanisms underpinning our findings on how to prevent ovarian cancer can be found in our 2018 ovarian cancer report.

Reduce your risk of ovarian cancer

Following our Cancer Prevention Recommendations reduces your risk of ovarian cancer. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, following our Recommendations can reduce the risk of cancer returning.

Be a healthy weight

Reaching – and staying at – a healthy weight can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer, many other cancers, and other diseases.

But it’s not easy! Eating a good diet and moving more are great places to start.

Visit our weight and cancer page for more information about how our weight affects our risk of developing cancer, and support to help you stay a healthy weight.

> Weight matters: get a free guide with realistic tips and advice from experts

Don’t smoke

You can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer by not smoking. If you do smoke, giving up smoking will reduce your risk.

In the UK, the NHS stop smoking service can help you quit.

Ovarian cancer survival

Our Living with cancer section can help if you are living with ovarian cancer.

Here to help

Cancer and Nutrition Helpline