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GUEST BLOGGER KAZ MOLLOY DISCUSSES THE "WOMB CANCER SCANDAL". A MUST READ FOR ALL WOMEN. AGE IS NO DISCRIMINATOR.


Guest Blogger Kaz Molloy writes about the great “womb cancer scandal” for Savvy ‘n’ Sassy readers today. Her message is powerful, and a must read for all women, young and older alike. Her words are from the heart. She has survived womb cancer but it has left a profound effect on her life. Please read and please, please share. It is easy to hide and not look at articles like this because we get scared. There is no need to be scared. Knowledge is a life saver. Who wouldn't want to know about the most common but sadly under discussed symptoms  of womb cancer?

I was diagnosed with womb cancer at the end of Dec 2009, aged 46. I had never heard of it and knew nothing about it. I didn’t know that it was the most common gynaecological cancer and that it can affect women of all ages. 

After my treatment ended I decided to do something about the lack of support out there for women who had been diagnosed with womb cancer and also about the lack of awareness there was about this cancer.

So in April 2011 I started Womb Cancer Support UK (WCSUK), a national support and awareness organisation. Over the past 7+ years we have supported many women who, like myself, had been diagnosed with a cancer they had never heard of. We also work hard to raise awareness because despite it being the most common gynaecological cancer, there is no national awareness campaign and you’ll be hard pushed to find any awareness leaflets in your local GP surgery waiting room.

As a very small grass roots organisation we have worked hard, mostly via social media, to spread the word and raise awareness but it’s so hard to be seen and heard above the big cancer charities, with their glossy advertising campaigns and huge media budgets.

We rely on the women who come to us for support to help us spread the word and raise awareness by getting our awareness leaflets into places that women will see them. We need women to know about womb cancer before they are diagnosed; knowing about the risk factors and symptoms means that hopefully women can get any unusual or unexplained bleeding checked out and if cancer is present then it can be dealt with. The earlier womb cancer is caught, the better the outcome.

So, it came as a bit of a shock when I saw a tweet from Macmillan talking about cancer symptoms that women should look out for – and there was no mention of womb cancer. You know the most common one that affects over 9,000 women a year!

What made this even worse is that it’s the 3rd year running that they have produced a booklet on “female” cancers and omitted womb cancer.  It is hard enough getting any exposure for womb cancer as it is but when one of the leading cancer charities can’t even include it in their awareness literature then what hope is there of raising awareness and getting the message out?

A large proportion of the awareness being raised around womb cancer is being done by patients themselves. Those of us that have been through it and are determined to do what we can to give womb cancer the attention it needs.

It doesn’t help when many GP’s and Consultants seem to refuse to accept that it can affect younger women. It can and does, yet many who present with extremely heavy bleeding and long and irregular periods are told they are “too young” to get womb cancer. No woman is too young. I know of several who were diagnosed in their early 20’s and at least 2 diagnosed before that age.

Being overweight and inactive is the major risk factor for womb cancer. Excess body fat holds onto oestrogen which increases the risk for this cancer.  Having PCOS, being diabetic, never having had children and starting your periods at an early age can potentially all increase your risk.

Always get any unexplained or unusual bleeding checked out, especially if it starts suddenly.  If you are postmenopausal and start spotting or bleeding then again, get it checked out. If your GP says you are “too young” or that it’s because you are peri-menopausal then see a different GP if possible.

Whatever you do, don’t ignore it or hope it will go away. Symptoms might not mean womb cancer but if it is, then the earlier it is caught the better the outcome.

WCSUK has spent the last 7+ years working hard to spread the word about womb cancer. It’s been a long hard slog but I am determined to get womb cancer as well known about as cervical or ovarian cancer, but we need your help to do that. Please join us on FB and Twitter and help spread the word. 

25 women a day are diagnosed with womb cancer – Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives, Grandmothers.

Kaz Molloy 


Womb cancer survivor and founder of Womb Cancer Support UK




 PS. PLEASE SHARE LIKE CRAZY. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. WE ALL LOVE PEOPLE THAT COULD BE AFFECTED BUT MAY NOT EVEN KNOW THAT THIS CANCER EXISTS. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GET SOME LEAFLETS TO YOUR LOCAL GP, GYM, WOMENS GROUPS PLEASE DO GET IN TOUCH WITH KAZ. I HAVE DONE IT.
THANK YOU, JANIE S XXX
Namaste
Janie S xxx
Founder Savvy 'n Sassy for women who refuse to be invisible!
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