Routine pap smears check for ovarian cancer?

My OB/GYN has never found anything in routine tests. I just read an article and now I'm concerned. For the past 7 months, I have had pressure or fullness in my pelvis, abdominal bloating, changes in bowel & bladder patterns that continue and/or worsen. Naturally, you can read any list of symptoms and feel like you have the condition. But it all seems so unusual that I would have bowel and bladder changes...

I guess what I am wondering is, if my doc has never found anything on routine pap smears, shouldn't I be ok? Or is this something they have to specifically test for?

PAP smear tests look for abnormalities in the cervix, not the ovaries, and ovarian cancer would not be detected on a smear.

It is extremely unlikely that you have ovarian cancer, and bowel problems like irritable bowel syndrome are much more likely based on the symptoms you have described. Have you had an ultrasound scan of the pelvis? If that was normal, then you should stop worrying about ovarian cancer. Equally, if you have had internal examinations, if either ovary was enlarged your OBGYN would have been able to feel it, and would then have arranged further tests.

I would advise that you would be better seeing a gastroenterologist to try to work out the cause of your symptoms.

A pap smear checks for cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer. They can check for ovarian cancer by doing a bimanual exam but that is difficult. If you are having these symptoms then see your doctor and tell them about the symptoms. Ask for an ultrasound. They often do vaginal ultrasounds in order to see the ovaries and other organs better in order to diagnose a disease. If you don't tell them that you are having certain symptoms then they aren't going to do a thorough exam to try to diagnose anything. The exam is just to check for any obvious problems but if you don't speak up then they're not going to know to try to look for something specific. Pap smears are not 100% when it comes to finding cervical cancer either. I've known several women who have gotten them and they came back abnormal but it turned out to be nothing. Other times the test comes back normal when there is a problem.

PAP smear is not 100% sensitive test.

Pap smears don't check for ovarian cancer, they check for a pretty common (and usually symptom-less) STD called human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause ovarian cancer and other isses. So when your pap smear comes up negative, it just means that you don't have HPV, not that you don't have ovarian cancer. But I wouldn't freak out just yet -- your symptoms sound like you could have something other than cancer, like irritable bowel syndrome or ovarian cysts (which can cause a lot of problems if left untreated). You should DEFINITELY make an appointment with your doctor though -- he/she will do a pelvic exam to check for swelling in your uterus or ovaries and possibly an ultrasound or CT scan if he/she encounters any problems. One way or the other, he/she should be able to tell you what's up with your body, and to figure out a way to treat what's wrong with it. And you can stop worrying about worst-case scenarios! : )