Pseudo-Teal Tuesday Gazette

It’s only Tuesday, but this week has already seen its share of news for our ovarian cancer community. Instead of publishing a Teal Tuesday Gazette, I thought I would proffer some ponderings about national news and its effect on ovarian cancer. . .

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that “closely-held” corporations, based on the owner’s religious beliefs, may opt out of the Affordable Care Act provision to provide oral contraceptives. While I see value in upholding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, I think we need to make a distinction between oral contraceptives when used as a means of birth control and when administered for other reasons such as pre-menstrual syndrome, endometriosis, amenorrhea or to lessen a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer by as much as 50 percent.  At the risk of being trite, I see the BIG question as . . . if I continue to shop at Hobby Lobby, will they provide their employees (keep in mind that most of them are women) with coverage for oral contraceptives if they are being prescribed for one of these other reasons?

Another affront to the early detection of ovarian cancer appeared in the Washington Journal yesterday in its report that the American College of Physicians (ACOP) said low-risk, healthy women who are not pregnant do not need routine pelvic exams. A rebuttal from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists emphasizing the importance of routine pelvic screenings and that doctors should continue to perform them is perhaps the silver lining in this cloud.

The logic behind this dictate from the ACOP  seems silly; most women are healthy and low-risk until a screening shows otherwise. Because the symptoms of ovarian cancer are subtle and not always indicative of a life-threatening situation, this news is especially disconcerting. Proper knowledge about our bodies and our reproductive system is empowering and this simple exam can save lives. Women need to be vigilant self-advocates for their health; we can’t rely on the government and doctors to make such decisions for us.

I know it’s a hard hill to climb. Now more than ever, it is important to educate the public on how the benefits of oral contraceptive extend beyond birth control and how a pelvic screening, along with a trans-vaginal ultrasound and CA-125 blood test (when indicated) are among the best ways to detect ovarian cancer.

In a few weeks I will be climbing Capitol Hill with other members of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance as the conclusion to their annual conference. One of our goals is to ensure the Senate matches the $20 million allocated for the Ovarian Cancer Research Program in FY15 which was recently passed by the House. Let’s keep hope alive that someday there will be an early detection test for ovarian cancer that is acceptable and accessible to all women.