A woman who went to her GP about changes in her period and backache was diagnosed with womb and ovarian cancer within three months of each other, leaving her “completely shocked” as doctors previously reassured her she was “too young” for cancer.
Gemma Coleman, 34, who lives with her husband of two years, Jack Coleman, 36, was “absolutely devastated” with her double cancer diagnoses, and urges women, during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, to “trust your gut” when it comes to changes in your periods, and to “not be afraid to challenge doctors”. Gemma, an executive complaint specialist at the Co-op, always had periods like “clockwork” up until the beginning of 2020, when suddenly they began getting shorter than normal – little did she know, this was a warning sign for womb and ovarian cancer.
It took doctors two years to diagnose Gemma with ovarian cancer after her radiologist spotted a cyst on her ovary when retrieving her eggs, and she believes if she was listened to and given a CA-125 blood test, it could have been diagnosed “within a few hours”. On top of chemotherapy, Gemma is also experiencing surgically induced menopause, which has left her infertile, something she and her husband are “still getting used to”.
