Endometrial Cancer is on the Rise; Make Sure You Know the Symptoms

A recent report showed endometrial cancer is on the rise.

Do you know the most common symptom associated with the disease?

According to Kevin M. Audlin, M.D., FACOG, board-certified gynecologic surgeon and director of both The Gynecology Care Institute and The Endometriosis Center at Mercy, women in their menopausal years need to watch out for vaginal bleeding. Even spotting can be a sign. 

They have been seeing an increase in younger women diagnosed in recent years, Dr. Audlin said.

"We tend to start to have our antenna up for abnormal heavy bleeding starting in their 30s. PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) patients tend to have a higher risk for cancers, uterine cancers, overweight, hypertensive, smokers. There (are) a lot of signs, but I think if you were to take a large basket of ladies that do end up with uterine cancers, they almost (all) commonly share the fact that they're menopausal," Dr. Audlin explained.

Dr. Audlin advised keeping up with your yearly visits with your gynecologist and being aware of your menstrual cycle.

If it's pretty normal, you should be OK. If you notice changes, go get checked out immediately.

View Mercy gynecologic surgeon Dr. Kevin Audlin’s interview about endometrial cancer.