Members of the Scottish Parliament united after First Minister's Questions today to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, in support of a charity campaign marking World Ovarian Cancer Day (WOCD).
This event was part of Ovarian Cancer Action’s UK-wide campaign to promote ovarian cancer symptoms awareness. The charity handed out 33,000 roses in cities across the UK with symptoms card attached, representing the number of women currently living with the disease in the UK.
Ovarian cancer kills one woman every two hours, yet according to research by Ovarian Cancer Action, 82% of women do not know the four main symptoms1. These are: persistent bloating, persistent stomach pain, feeling full quickly, and weeing more frequently. Low awareness, combined with a reluctance to visit the GP immediately (70% of women would hope their symptoms disappeared in time) is particularly dangerous. There's no screening tool for ovarian cancer and quick symptoms recognition and action is the only way to detect the disease early.
