SAN ANTONIO – Angelina Terrazas is described as an active, top-performing softball student athlete at Southwest High School who touched and impacted everyone she met on and off the field.
In March, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. She died Saturday after the months-long battle.
News of Terrazas’ death has many in shock — not just because she was so young — but also because of her diagnosis.
When many people hear of ovarian cases, they often think of it in older women.
“(It’s) not (diagnosed) as often in younger women. We do typically see it in middle age, but it does occur,” said Amber Holloway, a registered nurse and OB-GYN nurse practitioner with Baptist Medical Network.
Holloway said ovarian cancer is the cancer that originates from the ovaries, “and it typically starts just to spread within the reproductive system itself, but can continue to metastasize throughout the body.”
Holloway said many young women typically begin to see a gynecologist in their 20s.
She said it may be a good idea for some parents to begin their teen girls’ check-ups at age 15 or 16 to help manage any gynecological issues or symptoms that may occur early on.
According to the Cleveland Clinic website, the following are common risk factors of ovarian cancer:
- Being over the age of 60
- Obesity
- A biological family history of the disease or have inherited a gene mutation (BRCA1 or BRCA2) or Lynch syndrome
- Never being pregnant or having children later in life
- Endometriosis
But Holloway said ovarian cancer does not fit into a specific check list, especially since there is no distinctive test for it.
“Typically, we go based on symptoms,” she said.
Some of the symptoms Holloway listed are:
- Extreme fatigue
- Feeling full early into a meal
- Experiencing bloating that’s not associated with a woman’s cycle
- Pelvic pain throughout the month, not just when you’re on your period
She said if these things persist, especially in young women when other conditions that might explain why the symptoms have manifested have been ruled out, they could be a sign that more investigation is needed.
Holloway also said if these symptoms persist in female teens, it may be time for parents to take their daughters to see a doctor.
She added that teenage girls may feel awkward talking about their bodies to their parent. She said open conversations between parents and kids can be an important part in kids staying healthy.
“Everybody’s household is a little different, but keeping the door open for all types of conversation, things like talking about anxiety, depression,” Holloway said, “talking about symptoms that you’re having to your children can help them to understand that it’s OK to talk about their bodies.”
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