A Dorset based cancer charity is launching a campaign “Women’s Health Matters” to raise awareness of all five gynaecological cancers as part of September’s Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month.
Every year 21,000 women are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer and sadly 21 women die every day. Many women are ignorant of the symptoms of these cancers which can cause delay in diagnosis and which, in some cases may impact on survival.
GO Girls are raising awareness throughout September of all 5 gynaecological cancers: ovarian, endometrial, cervical, vulval and vaginal to encourage women to be more body aware and seek early help if they have any worrying symptoms.
“Women make up half the population. In the last few months, we have seen declines in women seeking help due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the virus not going away anytime soon, it is even more important women make their gynaecological health a priority and if they have any symptoms that are of concern and seek clinical help”, said Hilary Maxwell, CEO and Chair of GO Girls. “We hope our Women’s Health Matters campaign will encourage women to be much more body aware and have the confidence to seek clinical input”.
“There are some key symptoms that may indicate not all is well”, said Sharon McCartney, a nurse and Trustee of GO Girls. “So if you have unusual abdominal pain, bloating, can’t eat much and feeling full, this could be an early warning sign of ovarian cancer (ABC), whilst other indicators may be vaginal bleeding or an unusual discharge or a non-healing lesion on the vulva. We know it’s scary to recognise something might not be right and it might feel embarrassing, but better to seek help early and rule out cancer rather than rule it in.”
“It is vitally important women make themselves body aware – we must stop using phrases such as “down there” or “lady garden”. In 2020, these phrases are outdated and frankly just ridiculous. Young women should be encouraged to call the female anatomy by their correct names if we are to try and break the stigma that surrounds gynaecological health and improve outcomes for women”, added Hilary.
The GO Girls campaign runs from 1 September to 30th September. You can follow their awareness campaign on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
For more information see www.gogirlssupport.org
Go Girls