September is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month. And according to the a YouGov study by the Eve Appeal, only 2% of British people can name all five of the gynae cancers.
TWO PERCENT!
That's outrageous.
We ALL need to know these and also know the symptoms of each one. We need to get that number WAY above 2%. In the UK alone, 21 people die of these five gynae cancers every day. Just think, if we can get the other 98% to know about these cancers and their common symptoms, we can lower that number significantly.
The following information about each cancer and their symptoms has been taken from the Eve Appeal and NHS websites.
VULVAR:
⚡A lasting itch
😖Pain or soreness
🔴Thickened, raised, red, white or dark patches on the vulva.
VAGINAL:
🩸Bleeding between periods, post-menopausal or after sex
👃Bad-smelling or blood stained discharge
🍑Pain during sex
🪨A vaginal lump
⚡Persistent vaginal itch.
CERVICAL:
🩸Bleeding between periods
🩸Bleeding during or after sex
👃Unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge
OVARIAN
🤰Persistent bloating
⚡Persistent pelvic/abdominal pain
🤢Difficult eating/feeling full quickly/feeling sick
💩Change in bowel habits
🧃Needing to pee more
UTERINE:
🩸Bleeding between periods, post-menopause or after sex
🩸Heavier periods
💧Vaginal discharge - pink/watery/brown/prune coloured
But the most important thing to remember is that if anything at all feels different from your normal, speak to a doctor. Early detection is always best. And remember, lots of these symptoms can be for a wide number of different reasons so cancer won't always be the only answer, but whatever it is, it's best to get it checked out as soon as possible.