Woman with 'deadly but preventable' cancer shares four symptoms she initially ignored
A woman who was diagnosed with a common but preventable cancer has shared four signs she 'didn't think were a big deal' at first.
Today marks the start of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, dedicated to raising awareness of a condition that affects more than 3,000 women in the UK each year. It is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide and the 14th most common across the country. However, 99.8% of cases are preventable, according to Cancer Research UK.
To mark the occasion, medical experts and sufferers are encouraging the public to spread awareness. Taking to TikTok, a woman named Natasha, who previously had cervical cancer, has shared four symptoms she initially ignored before she was diagnosed.
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Abnormal bleeding
"First one: abnormal bleeding," Natasha said. "Now this can mean anything, so this can be bleeding after intercourse, which I had, or just random, sporadic bleeding [...] or irregular periods."
Natasha said she noticed this symptom "for a while", but brushed it off because she'd had irregular periods before and didn't see it as a "big issue" until she received her diagnosis.
Pain during sex
Pain during sex, also known as dyspareunia, can be a sign of cervical cancer. It is also a symptom of a number of other conditions.
Natasha continued: "I can't even explain to you how it felt. All I can say is that it wasn't nice and it wasn't pleasant. But again, because I'd just had quite rubbish periods and bad period pains, I put it down to that all the time. I was wrong."
Feeling tired
Third on Natasha's list was fatigue. "This one isn't spoken about a lot because not everyone does get this unless you're in the really advanced stages of it," she said.
"The fatigue I had, I can't even explain it. I needed to be asleep all the time, and obviously this is because my body is fighting off cancer. I used to sleep a full night, all I'd want to do is nap all day – the level of tiredness I felt, I've never felt anything like it in all of my life."
Lower back pain
Finally, Natasha shared she had suffered from lower back pain before being diagnosed with cervical cancer. "Again, this is another sign and symptom that I ignored," she said, explaining she had had an epidural when she gave birth to her first son and had suffered lower back pain "on and off" ever since.
"When I had cancer, before I knew, it was more intense, [and] it was all the time. But again, I just thought it was by bad back getting worse."
She concluded her advice: "Girls, if you have these four symptoms, this is not saying that you've got cervical cancer. But they are definitely, definitely, definitely signs you need to get checked."
The best way to avoid catching this mostly preventable disease is through regular screening. Smear tests are available on the NHS and it is recommended women have one every three years, starting from the age of 25.
In another TikTok video posted by the women's supplement brand Our Remedy, a staff member said: "This is a reminder to book your smear test. That's where abnormal cells will show up."
If abnormal cells are detected, doctors can perform further tests and intervene before they become cancerous if need be. "They're utterly painless, nothing to worry about at all," the video continued.