I’m 21 years old, and I’ve had hyperthyroidism since I was 16. I’ve read that having hyperthyroidism increases your risk of ovarian cancer by 80%. my numbers are well-controlled, and I plan to have iodine treatment done on my thyroid either in March (over spring break) or during the summer.

To complicate matters, I am also a DES granddaughter, which I’ve read can increase your risk of ovarian cancer as well. I do have very mild spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and an atrial septal defect (corrected at age 6) as a result of the DES. I was also born 7 weeks premature. Other than that, I’m perfectly healthy and active.

I do tend to worry a lot, but I’m worrying even more so now that I know there is alibi between DES granddaughters and ovarian cancer, plus the fact that I have thyroid problems. Am I worrying too much about this? I go to my gynecologist every year for check ups and she always says I am totally fine. I just think I’m worrying more than I should be because I have IBS and mild heartburn/acid reflux that I was diagnosed with at age 17, and I know these symptoms can be quite similar to ovarian cancer.

Also, I should mention that other than having extreme difficulty getting pregnant, my mom and aunt (ages 56 and 55, respectively) are both healthy as well. My cousin has had occasional ovarian cysts, but she had no trouble getting pregnant (she actually got pregnant using 2 forms of birth control!) and is otherwise healthy.

There is no history of ovarian or breast cancer in my family.

Filed under: Ovarian Cyst Treatment

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!