You don’t overeat, you don’t have ovarian cancer, so why have you lost your appetite?
Have you been feeling full “all the time” even though you haven’t been eating more, and even though your doctor said you don’t have ovarian cancer?
Feeling full all the time is a nonspecific symptom, says Michael Blume, MD, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore.
He explains, “One needs to distinguish whether this is a problem with gastrointestinal structure (i.e., obstructive or inflammatory problems) or gastrointestinal function (this may include metabolic problems, medications, as well as functional gastrointestinal disorders).
“Diagnosing this would likely involve a combination of taking a medical history as well as some diagnostic testing.”
For women who have noticed a persistent full feeling, one of your first stops, if not your very first stop, should be with a gynecologist.
Ask the doctor to see if your ovaries are doing well.
Keep in mind that the absence of ovarian cancer does not mean that some other cancer can’t be causing you to feel disproportionately full relative to the amount of food you eat.
Cancers that can subdue the desire to eat include stomach, colon, pancreatic and lung.
Additional Causes of a Suppressed Appetite
– Addison’s disease
– Anxiety
– Celiac disease
– Chronic heart failure
– Crohn’s disease
– Dementia
– Depression
– Diabetes (though this also often causes intense hunger)
– GERD
– Kidney disease
– Liver disease
– Pancreatitis
– Rheumatoid arthritis
– Side effects of cancer treatment
– Stress
– Tapeworm
– Ulcer
– Ulcerative colitis
This list of causes of appetite loss is not complete.
If you’ve been experiencing a loss of appetite lately, then the more symptoms that occur with this, the more concerning your situation is.
For example, a suppressed appetite that’s also accompanied by vomiting, unexplained fatigue and/or abdominal pain should be immediately checked out by your doctor — regardless of your age — or gender.
In practice for 20+ years, Dr. Blume treats over 65 conditions including abdominal pain, appetite loss, blood in stool, celiac disease, colon cancer, esophageal and liver disease, gas and IBS.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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