Over 300 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year in Wales.

Two thirds of those with ovarian cancer are diagnosed too late when the cancer has already spread.

It’s vital that women are aware of the symptoms if ovarian cancer is to be diagnosed early. In Wales, only 15 per cent of women would make an urgent GP appointment if they were to experience the symptom of persistent bloating, this needs to change.

That is why I am supporting Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month this March.

Target Ovarian Cancer carried out research to find out how aware the UK is of the disease and its symptoms and found that while there’s been progress, things aren’t moving fast enough.

They found that awareness of key symptoms is still too low, Only 27%  of women were able to name bloating as a symptom, 33% abdominal pain, 3% feeling full and just 2% urinary urgency.

When symptoms are ignored or passed off as more common conditions like IBS, ovarian cancer has time to advance before it is found. If caught early, it’s much more treatable. 

The charity were more worried to find 40 per cent of UK women think cervical screening (a smear test) detects ovarian cancer. This is up from 31 per cent in 2016.

Confusion between cervical cancer and ovarian cancer can be fatal. Thinking that a smear test also helps prevent ovarian cancer stops people from looking out for the symptoms.

It is clear that action needs to be taken to tackle this awareness crisis and I am therefore support Target Ovarian Cancer’s open letter to the Welsh Government calling for them to launch an awareness campaign featuring ovarian cancer symptoms and for the diagnostic pathway to be shortened.

Currently, ovarian cancer is diagnosed with a CA125 blood test and an ultrasound, however these tests are carried out separately leading to a longer wait time for diagnosis. That wait can prove fatal.

Knowing the symptoms of ovarian cancer could save your life. 

Symptoms:

• Persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes
• Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
• Pelvic or abdominal pain (that's your tummy and below)
• Urinary symptoms (needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual)

Occasionally there can be other symptoms:

• Changes in bowel habit (eg diarrhoea or constipation)
• Extreme fatigue (feeling very tired)
• Unexplained weight loss
• Any bleeding after the menopause should always be investigated by a GP

Symptoms will be:

• Frequent – they usually happen more than 12 times a month
• Persistent – they don't go away
• New – they're not normal for you  

If you regularly experience any one or more of these symptoms, which aren't normal for you, it's important that you book an appointment with your GP. It's unlikely that your symptoms are caused by a serious problem, but it's important to get checked out.

Ovarian cysts in pre-menopausal women can produce symptoms similar to those for ovarian cancer but they aren't known to increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

Other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have symptoms similar to ovarian cancer but if your symptoms don't clear up, go back to your GP or seek a second opinion, even if you've had tests. 

To find out more about Ovarian Cancer or to sign Target Ovarian Cancer’s open letter to the Welsh Government, please visit their website Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month | Target Ovarian Cancer.