What Comes Next After an Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis

The time after an ovarian cancer diagnosis—whether during treatment or in remission—can be challenging. It’s natural to feel uncertain about what comes next, but there are steps you can take to bring more brightness to your days. Identifying your strengths, recognizing your needs, and setting small, achievable goals can help you maintain a sense of control. Finding what inspires and motivates you—whether it’s reconnecting with loved ones, exploring a new hobby, or simply setting aside time for self-care—can make each day feel a little lighter and more fulfilling.

Taking the steps below can help you maintain a positive outlook.

Make Healthy Choices

Moving your body, maintaining a healthy diet, staying hydrated, and getting rest is important. Work with your doctor to determine what's appropriate for you.

Reach Out

You don’t have to go through this experience alone. Develop a support team that can help you along the way by reaching out to:

Professional help (e.g., a counselor or therapist)
Family and friends
Other people with cancer (through online forums, gynecologic cancer events, etc.)
Ovarian or Gynecologic Cancer Advocacy groups, which can provide:
- Emotional support
- Education for you and your care partner(s)
- Financial assistance
- Connection to other women living with gynecologic cancer

Honor Your Feelings

Living with cancer can make you feel a variety of emotions: frustration, sadness, guilt, and exhaustion, to name a few. Give yourself permission to feel your emotions.

Remember that feelings don’t define who you are.
Pay close attention to your feelings and recognize what triggers them. This will help you better understand these feelings should they arise again.
Make sure to reach out to your support system. Stay in close contact with your support group, caregivers, and healthcare team and let them know how you’re feeling.

Strive for Resilience

This is not an easy thing to do, by any means. Taking steps to find your new normal after experiencing a setback or tough situation is invaluable when facing gynecologic cancer.

When you’re feeling down or when things don’t go as planned, it’s important to let yourself feel whatever emotions arise.
After you’ve honored your feelings, it’s equally important to try to get back into your routine. As you are doing so, try to stay present and hopeful. Creating connections is a great way to keep yourself in the moment.
If it’s helpful, make lists and/or action plans to organize your days.

Ovarian Cancer Recurrence

Ovarian cancer may respond well to initial treatment and go into remission. However, for some individuals, the cancer may return, either in the same area or elsewhere in the body. This is known as recurrence. Recurrence occurs in more than 80% of patients with advanced ovarian cancer, so knowing what to look for may better help you prepare with your healthcare team. Maintenance therapy may be an option to help delay the time before the cancer may return.

Symptoms of Recurrence May Include:

Abdominal pain, swelling, or bloating
Changes in bowl movements
Fatigue
Elevated CA-125 levels
Pelvic & lower back pain
Urinary issues

After treatment, regular screening is recommended to detect recurrence. Talk to your healthcare team about routine gynecologic care and pelvic exams.

Thinking about the possibility of recurrence may cause anxiety and worry. It may bring on feelings of uncertainty about what to do next, even if you are in remission with no evidence of disease. Understanding what recurrence means is an important step in choosing the right treatment plan and managing the decisions and emotions that come along with it.

Starting a Conversation with Your Healthcare Team

The questions below can help kick off meaningful discussions about maintenance therapy and recurrence with your healthcare team:

How frequently should I come in for check-ups to monitor my disease?
Why would my cancer recur?
Are there symptoms I should look out for that might signal a recurrence?
What are my chances of recurrence, and are there treatment options available that may help to delay the cancer from returning?
If my cancer recurs, will I need additional treatment if I respond to chemotherapy? What might that look like?
Could maintenance therapy be right for me?
What do I need to know about maintenance therapies? How do they work?