Ovarian cancer
What is ovarian cancer? Find out how common it is, the causes, and expert advice on how to reduce your risk.
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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:
- epithelial cells, which cover the ovary
- stromal cells, which produce hormones
- 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 |
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!
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.
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.
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.
