World Ovarian Cancer Day — Raising Awareness Together
Date: May 8, 2025

The Queensland Medical Women’s Society (QMWS) proudly supports World Ovarian Cancer Day — a global initiative to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, the most lethal of the female cancers. With no reliable screening test and symptoms often mistaken for less serious conditions, ovarian cancer is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage, making early awareness and education crucial.

QMWS is committed to amplifying awareness and advocating for improved research and funding. We’ll be supporting local events and activities in recognition of this important day — stay tuned for event details coming soon.

Let’s come together to stand in solidarity with patients, families, and healthcare professionals working tirelessly in the fight against ovarian cancer.

Established in 2013 by a group of leaders from ovarian cancer advocacy organizations around the world, May 8 – World Ovarian Cancer Day, is the one day of the year we globally raise our voices in solidarity in the fight against ovarian cancer.

While the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition works on many fronts, World Ovarian Cancer Day is our flagship awareness-raising initiative, and is the key date in our calendar. Supported by over 200 organizations from around the world, our social media reach grows exponentially every year. Our partner organizations, as small as kitchen table-based patient advocacy groups in rural communities, to national healthcare associations based in major metropolitan areas, all come together as one to raise awareness about the disease.

Over the first twelve years, World Ovarian Cancer Day has grown from its humble start as an idea around a table to an international movement, in over 50 languages and activity in 95% of the world’s countries. WOCD2024 saw an increase of followers across all channels, and above-average engagement on all social media posts. Facebook and Instagram saw significant growth in reach over 2023, with an amazing 227% growth on Instagram alone.

Overview

‘Ovarian cancer’ is not a singular diagnosis, rather it is an umbrella term for a multitude of different types of cancer that affect the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the primary peritoneal cavity. It is estimated that there are more than 30 different types of ovarian cancer, and there is a very wide variation in incidence and outlook in terms of the different types.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of the female cancers for which there is no reliable screening test, and every person assigned female at birth is at risk.  With delays in diagnoses due to this lack of screening and because symptoms are often confused with other, less severe, illness, most people are diagnosed once the cancer has already spread, making it more difficult to treat. While every woman is at risk, ovarian cancer is overlooked and underfunded.