Lower Back Pain

Women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer often say that they experienced mild to heavy lower back pain before their treatment.

The back pain occurs in the lower back and often feels like a dull ache. Some women describe it as feeling like labor pains.

My back ached a lot. At first it was occasional like when I did dishes or the laundry, but then it began to ache when I was sitting, doing nothing. I knew something had to be wrong. I went to my doctor and later found I had stage III ovarian cancer.
Candace, Seattle, WA

Any symptom the lasts more than a week or two really needs to be evaluated by a doctor. Keep in mind that lower back pain may be a sign of PMS for some women. However, chronic lower back pain should not go untreated.

_{Created: 02/02/06
Reference: National Cancer Institute}