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.
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.
Namaste
Janie S xxx
Founder Savvy 'n Sassy for women who refuse to be invisible!
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