Who gets ovarian cancer?

[JellySaurus]

A 19 yo woman goes to the doctor with classic symptoms of ovarian cysts or cancer and is fobbed off with classic medical misogyny of periods are painful and her symptoms are due to anxiety. Result: life-changing consequences that only a woman can experience.

Enlli Thompson seems to have amazing positivity,despite what has happened to her, and I hope she goes on to live a fulfilling and healthy life.

Then the interview with a Gp who claims to always pay attention to these symptoms. This attentive GP refers only to 'people' with ovarian cancer, as does Cancer Research UK.

49% of PEOPLE are at no risk whatsoever of ovarian cancer. 49% of PEOPLE are never going to have their possible cancer symptoms dismissed as period pains.

WOMEN. Only women get ovarian cancer. Only women have their symptoms dismissed as 'normal' period pains. Only women have severly or increasingly painful periods dismissed as 'normal'. Only women get thrown into menopause by medical treatment. Only women have to live with the extreme consequences of premature aging as a result.

Not just medical misogyny but also medical dishonesty.

BBC News - Ovarian cancer and menopause at 19 mean I can't have kids, but it's changed me for the better
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy9wn7w4982o

On this thread a male doctor does not consider dismissing symptoms as ‘periods’ or ‘anxiety’ to be medical misogyny. Sure, ovarian cover is incredibly rare in young women - but that’s not the point. The point is that her symptoms were dismissed as just something that happens to women, not worthy of further investigation.

A TRA points out that a trans-identifying female patient was treated with dignity regardless of her gender identity. How does that translate to all women should be erased because some prefer not to be referred to as women?

Then, when the female patient is treated with the same fertility preservation protocol (or women’s health preservation protocol) as other women, the TRA claims that this is transphobia.

Then, when the female patient is treated with the same fertility preservation protocol (or women’s health preservation protocol) as other women, the TRA claims that this is transphobia.

A glaring example of 'everything is transphobia' . That poster initially said "He was also subjected to medical misogyny in how his [sic] fertility was considered more important than making sure all the cancer was gone" but then added "Its really obvious they refused to do the hysterectomy because he [sic] was trans and they decided he [he] wanted it for gender care reasons."

As you say, the original conclusion that this was medical misogyny in the sense of possibly being prepared to risk recovery in an attempt to preserve female fertility may well be valid, but this is nothing to do with trans status. Indeed, there are many women who will be able to tell of their, or friends', experience of being refused elective sterilisation in their twenties or thirties (too young) by the same medical establishment that seems much more cavalier about limiting or eliminating the fertility of patients who claim a trans identity.

On this thread a male doctor does not consider dismissing symptoms as ‘periods’ or ‘anxiety’ to be medical misogyny. Sure, ovarian cover is incredibly rare in young women - but that’s not the point. The point is that her symptoms were dismissed as just something that happens to women, not worthy of further investigation.

As the male doctor you are referring to I think that you are misrepresenting what I wrote & what happened in this particular case.

Ovarian cancer is incredibly rare in a 19 year old. The old saw in medicine is that common things are commonest. You need to rule out all the common diseases that fit with symptoms before thinking of less common diseases. Medical students are notorious for blurting out obscure diagnosis because they have just read about it in a textbook.

The patient in this case was correctly managed. She had the appropriate investigations that came to the correct diagnosis followed by the correct treatment. Immediately sending every 19 year old female with abdominal pain for a scan is not a suitable use of resources. It's unfortunate that the cancer wasn't picked up until it had spread locally but unless infinite resources are poured into the NHS we will never be able to practise perfect medicine.

I thought TransP simply made a mistake there, and meant to write:

“Men who have no sexual attraction to women can be misogynists." as a counter to the controlling reproduction argument. Not that it’s a particularly good one.

I am not a trans man and I was refused a hysterectomy at 45 because I might still want children, despite my never having them and being absolutely clear I didn’t want them.

This is medical misogyny and applies to all women however they identify. The refusal of the procedure for a young woman was no different from their refusal of mine - the trans element is irrelevant.

the UK charities also talk about “people” with ovarian cancer. Drives me mad but I’m too busy having ovarian cancer to do much about it.

Yes, that's my point.

Fertility is prized above our wishes, and that applied to everyone born with a womb. He made it clear he didn't want children, so did you, and you were both dismissed as not knowing your own minds.

I'm so sorry that happened to you. No HCP should have had that power, it must have been profoundly traumatising.

Because ‘he’ is a woman not because ‘he’ is trans. As mentioned before, the medical establishment seems to have historically been far less concerned about damaging the fertility of women and girls if they claim a trans identity.

@TransParentlyAnnoyed “everyone born with a womb”

ONLY girls are born with a womb. They, in turn, grew inside their mother’s womb.

💐
As we so often say on this forum, women are not service humans. It’s not your job to sort out this idiocy.

Have they attempted to clarify?

Misogyny unites all of us... especially the men

Fuck me,how hard do you have to work to convince yourself of this bullshit? The cognitive dissonance must cause constant headaches

Women are people, I don't see anything wrong in calling women people or calling men people. Do we have to get worked up about such trivial things?

Only WOMEN get ovarian cancer.

Only WOMEN menstruate

Only WOMEN get pregnant and give birth

NOT people!!

Language matters. If you’re referring to something that affects everybody, regardless of sex, then it’s fine to use ‘people’. But for sex-specific issues it is important to specify the sex: women or men.

A few years ago dh showed me a BBC article about prostate cancer. He was concerned for me, as I had several of the symptoms. Dh is a highly intelligent man with a PhD in a science subject. But he did not know that the prostate is a sex-specific organ, that only men can have a prostate, that the article was about him, not me. The article did not mention ‘men’ or ‘male’ anywhere.

Language matters.

No, I was just giving my interpretation. I normally have no time for their nonsense, but this was so daft I thought it a mistake.

I think given that it's been picked up on and they've been back to respond to other stuff but not that, I suspect we've already got the answer to this.

Plenty of opportunity to correct it, not taken.

I am sorry to hear of this.
Please can you tell us how this worked - is this a trans person who was born with both sets of genitalia or someone born a woman who was transitioning to a man? Forgive my ignorance, this is a genuine question.

The bbc article mentions 120 young women a year - it was the quoted dr who used people

Immediately sending every 19 year old female with abdominal pain for a scan is not a suitable use of resources. It's unfortunate that the cancer wasn't picked up until it had spread locally but unless infinite resources are poured into the NHS we will never be able to practise perfect medicine.

You are totally missing the point. Nobody on here is saying this 19 year old female was not appropriately managed. Ovarian cancer is rare in this age group in women - agreed. It is also a damn site rarer in any age group of males. You make this point yourself by referring to females with abdo pain.

I'm sure you've encountered the argument before that inclusive language in general healthcare messaging risks excluding several categories of vulnerable people including non-native English speakers and people with cognitive disabilities. Do you disagree? How do you square it with the NHS's own emphasis on the importance of plain language in healthcare?

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/19/gia-lam-died-chilbirth-uti-hospital-preventable-death

How does that work out as a) a % of the general population and b) a % of the share of the population with ovaries? If the % risk to one group is double, shouldn't we be targeting that group with health messaging tailored to their needs?

You are missing the point. The OP literally claims this poor girl was badly managed. Here are the first two sentences.

A 19 yo woman goes to the doctor with classic symptoms of ovarian cysts or cancer and is fobbed off with classic medical misogyny of periods are painful and her symptoms are due to anxiety. Result: life-changing consequences that only a woman can experience.

The patient herself doesn't claim she was badly managed. This is an uplifting story of a young woman correctly diagnosed & treated for a fantastically rare cancer doing well.

Of the 3.85 million young women aged 15 to 24 in the UK about 120 will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year.

Twice the chance of the equivalent population of people of the same age.