Many of you will be aware that in March we celebrate International Women’s Day but did you know it’s also Ovarian Cancer Awareness month? Thinking about this prompted me to get my blog on! Ovarian Cancer is the 6th most common cancer in women in the UK, with around 7,300 women diagnosed every year. Yet it’s not one we talk about much. I remember one of my work colleagues used to go for regular screening as there was a family history of the disease and she always referred to it as the silent killer. Currently there is no screening programme for all women, so it makes sense for us to know what to look out for and familiarise ourselves with signs & symptoms. The OCA website https://ovarian.org.uk/ has lots of useful information so it’s worth taking a look. The first thing that that struck me was the fact that 9 out of 10 women can’t name all four symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. I had to admit that I couldn’t even name one, let alone four! But I can now and here’s a reminder:
· Persistent stomach pain
· Persistent bloating
· Difficulty eating/feeling full more quickly
· Needing to wee more frequently
On browsing the site I began to read the ‘Your Stories’ section – it’s incredible how strong, determined and resilient people are in the face of adversity. Gosh, I don’t think I would be so strong.
The Yorkshire Lass Sportive is a Charity fundraising event, that is a key driver for us and we are proud to support Ovarian Cancer Action as part of Women V Cancer. With your help over the last four years we’ve been able to donate over £10,000 to Ovarian Cancer Action. In 2020 we will again be supporting OCA so that more women can be helped via their work.