A CONSULTANT is urging women to be aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer, the fifth most common cancer amongst women, but particularly difficult to diagnose.
As part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month which runs throughout March, Mr Angus Thomson, a consultant gynaecologist at Spire South Bank Hospital in Worcester, has called on women to be constantly on the lookout for possible symptoms – urging them not to dismiss them as ‘tummy troubles’ or just feeling ‘bloated’.
He said: “The symptoms are vague and often difficult to pin down. Too many women are dismissing the symptoms for too long before going to see their GP. There are not always specific symptoms and they can be subtle so it is difficult to spot and easy to attribute symptoms to other things such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.”
The four main new or changing symptoms to look out for are:
* Persistent bloating or increased stomach size
* Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
* Needing to urinate more frequently
* Persistent stomach pain
“My advice to woman suffering from these symptoms is to go to their GP and discuss the matter thoroughly" said Mr Thomson.
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