Health Topics A-Z

What Are the Symptoms?

Some women with endometrial cancer experience no symptoms until the disease has spread to other organs. However, endometrial cancer is usually diagnosed by the appearance of symptoms — like vaginal bleeding — as the malignancy begins to grow. The most likely symptoms are:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding which occurs in 9 out of 10 women diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Before menopause, this means unusually heavy irregular menstrual periods or bleeding between periods. After a woman enters menopause, this means any vaginal bleeding, unless she is on post menopausal hormone therapy (HT). Postmenopausal women on HT may have monthly bleeding that resembles menstruation; any unusual or heavy bleeding should be reported to the doctor.
• Vaginal discharge that may range from pink and watery to thick, brown and foul smelling.
• Difficult or painful urination.
• An enlarged uterus, detectable upon pelvic examination.
• Pain during intercourse.
• Unexpected weight loss; weakness and pain in the lower abdomen, back or legs. This occurs once the cancer has spread to other organs.

Call Your Doctor If:

You experience abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge. Abnormal bleeding, though sometimes a symptom of menopause, should not be ignored. It should be brought to your doctor's attention immediately. Uterine cancer usually doesn't occur before menopause, but it can appear around the time menopause begins.