"September is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month and organisations such as The Eve Appeal are encouraging women to get to know their bodies to help challenge the stigma and educate women and men about gynae cancers."
Eve Appeal Ambasadors:
Laura Coryton - Feminist Campaigner “Jokes aside, there’s a serious consequence to shaming women and more specifically, vaginas. Female-specific gynae cancer charities receive a minimal amount of funding and those with such devastating conditions often feel ashamed to talk about them. It’s just not okay. I have struggled with numerous tumours since I was 8, and I couldn’t have faced dealing with misogynistic shame as a consequence. This anxiety simply shouldn’t exist and it’s amazing organisations such as the Eve Appeal that make all the difference in supporting those at their most vulnerable.”
Nimco Ali - Feminist and social activist
Nimco is a feminist and social activist. She is co-founder and director of Daughters of Eve, a survivor-led organisation which has helped to transform the approach to ending female genital mutilation (FGM).
Cherry Healey - TV presenter
“Gynaecological cancers have such a low profile, in part I think because of the embarrassment and shame that existing around female genitalia. Many girls learn to feel ashamed of their vaginas, breasts and genitalia and as a result know very little about their anatomy. And if we don’t know our vagina from our vulva and what’s normal and not for us, then it will be much harder to spot the potential signs of gynaecological cancer."
Helen Lederer - Actress and Comedian
“Any cancer is devastating, but hidden cancers are the worst, as they often have a bad outcome. Gynaecological cancers come into this category and anything that helps early detection and cure has to be a cause worth fighting for."
Dr Monah Mansoori - GP and Health Expert
"The Eve appeal is a particularly special charity as it addresses both funding for the science behind improving outcomes and earlier detection as well as educating women and health workers on how to improve pickup rates. Part of this is tackling the stigma of talking about gynaecological problems more openly."
Caroline Hirons - Beauty and Skincare Expert
“Gynaecological cancers are so easily forgotten and my hope as an ambassador is that we will be able to reach out to women everywhere and get them talking about these cancers”.
eveappeal.org.uk/about-us/charity-information/meet-our-ambassadors/
There are five gynaecological cancers – womb, ovarian, cervical, vaginal and vulval – but awareness levels of these cancers are very low.
There are common signs and symptoms across some of the gynaecological cancers such as abnormal vaginal bleeding. Other signs are less obvious, and could be due to different health conditions, for example abdominal bloating can indicate Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Each year in the UK, over 21,000 women are diagnosed with a form of gynaecological cancer. This equates to 58 women receiving this life-changing news every day. Sadly 21 women will die from a gynaecological cancer every day.