This February, get your besties together for morning tea, round up your mates from a local sports club or community group, or gather the women in your family for a cuppa and let’s get talking!
February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and our mission at the Letitia Linke Research Foundation this year is to get people in the wider community talking about ovaries!
Known as the ‘Silent Killer’ Ovarian Cancer is often missed until a late stage diagnosis means little can be done to treat the disease. Early screening has transformed the mortality rate for cancers such as Cervical Cancer and Breast Cancer, but as yet, there is no early detection test for Ovarian Cancer.
Knowledge is one of the greatest protections that we have against this illness, in the absence of early screening tests. Knowing the signs and symptoms is the first step in helping women to recognise the signs and seek treatment earlier. Throughout February we’re encouraging others to join us and talk to their friends, family and loved ones about Ovarian Cancer.
By working together to spread the word, you can play a part in raising awareness of the signs of Ovarian Cancer and potentially impact a woman’s life.
The most common signs and symptoms are:
– Abdominal bloating
– Pelvic or abdominal pain
– Feeling full after only eating a small amount
– The need to frequently or urgently urinate
– Lower back pain