Ovarian cancer: Teenagers and young adults

Ovarian cancer: Teenagers and young adults

• Introduction
• Germ cell tumours of the ovary
• Having tests for ovarian cancer
• Treatment for germ cell tumours of the ovary

Introduction

This section is for teenagers and young adults. It’s about a type of cancer called ovarian cancer.

We have more info for young people about:

• germ cell tumours of the ovary – causes and symptoms
• having tests for ovarian cancer 
• treating ovarian cancer

For more information about ovarian cancer in women of all ages, read our general ovarian cancer section.

Ovarian cancer starts in the ovaries, which are part of the reproductive system. This is in the lower part of your tummy (abdomen), in the area between your hips (called the pelvis). Your reproductive system is made up of your vagina and the organs involved in getting pregnant and having a baby.

Your reproductive system

Your reproductive system is made up of the:

• vagina – the passage from the cervix to outside your body
• cervix – the opening from the womb to the vagina
• womb (also called uterus) – where a baby grows during pregnancy
• fallopian tubes – which connect your ovaries to the womb
• ovaries – which store all your eggs and release one every month after puberty

Facts about ovaries

You have 2 ovaries – 1 on each side of your womb. They’re about 4cm long.

At puberty your ovaries start making hormones called oestrogen and progesterone. These cause your breasts to grow and your periods to start.

Every month after puberty, your ovaries release an egg, which travels down the fallopian tubes to the womb. The womb’s lining gets thicker, ready for an egg to be fertilised by a man’s sperm. If this doesn’t happen, the womb’s lining comes out of your vagina as blood. This is a period.

When a woman is about 50 her periods stop because her ovaries have run out of eggs so they stop making hormones. This is called the menopause.

Types of ovarian cancer 

There are 3 types of ovarian cancer: epithelial tumours, germ cell tumours and stromal cell tumours.

Teenagers are mostly affected by the germ cell tumour type. You may hear your type of germ cell tumour being called:

• dysgerminoma
• teratoma
• yolk sac tumour

Germ cell tumours of the ovary are rare. They start in the egg-producing cells of the ovary. Treatment will usually cure germ cell tumours.

Your specialist will explain more about the type of germ cell tumour that you have. If you have a type of ovarian cancer or germ cell tumour that’s not listed here, you can talk to one of Macmillan’s cancer support specialists to find out more.