WOMEN who suffer from endometriosis also have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer, new research has revealed. This new study has confirmed what scientists have speculated for years - that the two conditions are linked. Endometriosis is a common and debitilating condition that happens when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows on other organs.
It plagues around one in 10 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the UK. Celebrities such as comedian Amy Schumer and former Love Islander Molly-Mae-Hague have recently opened up about their battle with the illness. The symptoms of the gynaecological condition can include painful periods, nausea, extreme tiredness and infertility Researchers from the University of Utah, US, found those with endometriosis were four times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who didn't have the disease.
However, for women with some of the more severe forms of the disease - either deep infiltrating endometriosis, ovarian endometriomas or both - this rose to a 9.7-fold higher risk. As the name suggests, deep infiltrating is found deep within the tissue or organ, while ovarian endometriomas, sometimes called “chocolate cysts,” are cysts that form in the ovary.
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynaecological cancer because it's usually diagnosed too late. In the UK, around 7,400 people are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and more than 4,000 people die from it. This means that ovarian cancer kills a woman in the UK ev.