The Johnson County Board of Supervisors officially designated September 2025 as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in Johnson County. Receiving the proclamation is Patient Advocate Bridget Toomey who lost her mother from ovarian, and researchers Kristi Thiel, PhD, and Danielle Uhl, PhD with Johnson County Board of Supervisors Mandi Remington, V Fixmer-Oraiz, Rod Sullivan, and Lisa Green-Douglass.
Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women in Iowa and is the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers, with a five-year survival rate of just 50 percent. Because of the location of the ovaries in the body, most ovarian cancers are not diagnosed until the late stages of the disease. Additionally, there is no screening test for ovarian cancer, as a pap smear does not detect ovarian cancer.
The American Cancer Society estimates 20,890 cases of ovarian cancer will be newly diagnosed in 2025 and 12,730 individuals will die from the disease nationwide, including 180 new cases and 120 deaths in Iowa. The designation of September as Ovarian Cancer Month will help raise awareness of the disease. Symptoms of ovarian cancer can be subtle or vague, and can include the following:
• Bloating
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
• Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
These symptoms can be associated with many common conditions, but if you experience these as new or if they are unusual for you, visit your doctor.
Proclamation Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month – September 2025
Wheras, ovarian cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer deaths of women in the United States and causes more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer; and
Wheras, in the United States, a woman’s lifetime risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer is about 1 in 78; and
Wheras, the American Cancer Society estimates 20,890 cases of ovarian cancer will be newly diagnosed in 2025 and 12,730 individuals will die from the disease nationwide, including 180 new cases and 120 deaths in Iowa; and
Wheras, the five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is 50% and survival rates vary greatly depending on the stage of diagnosis; and
Wheras, a pap smear does not detect ovarian cancer, there is not currently an effective diagnostic tool for screening and early detection does not exist; and
Wheras, ongoing investments in ovarian cancer research and education and awareness efforts are critical to closing these gaps and improving survivorship for women with ovarian cancer.
Now, therefore, be it resolved that we, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, do hereby proclaim the month of September 2025 to be: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in Johnson County, Iowa, and encourage all people to learn more about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and their genetic history.