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Wear teal Friday to bring awareness to ovarian cancer

Posted at 7:27 AM, Sep 05, 2014
and last updated 2014-09-05 09:57:02-04

People across the United States will be wearing teal on Friday, September 5 to show their support for women with ovarian cancer.

The annual event kicks off Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

It's expected that nearly 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014. Less than half will live another five years.

While ovarian cancer is the 11th most common cancer among women, it is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women, and is the deadliest of gynecologic cancers.

"For years, women have known that ovarian cancer was not the silent killer it was said to be," officials with the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance said. "Over the past decade, science has confirmed what women have long known: ovarian cancer has symptoms."

The symptoms are typically persistent and a change from the "normal." Symptoms to look for are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and urinary issues (urgency or frequency).

Learn more on the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance's website.