One Woman's Story

Carleen was only 36 when she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer and had just got married.  However the physical symptoms had started 18 months before.

Carleen had always had irregular periods – sometimes so irregular that they were two or three years apart!  She did go and see her GP about this but was told there wasn’t a problem with this (even that she was lucky).*

Then Carleen began to have irregular bleeding, particularly after sex, and despite reassurance from her GP she knew that this wasn’t right for her body and did in fact have a pattern unlike her previous irregular periods.  As she says ‘ GPs are good at what they do, but they don’t know your body like you do’.

Fortunately, she moved to a different area of the UK and signed on with a different GP.  Her GP was married to an Obs & Gynae consultant and was more interested in this area of health.  The new GP was concerned and referred Carleen to the local hospital for tests, specifically a Colposcopy (A colposcope is a large, electric microscope that is positioned approximately 30 cm from the vagina. A bright light on the end of the colposcope lets the gynecologist clearly see the cervix.).

The appointment came through a couple of weeks later.  Whilst the colposcopist was undertaking the procedure he decided to take a swab from inside the neck of the womb, as he did so a large amount of blood gushed out and he immediately realised that things weren’t quite right.  Even though the follow up appointment had been set for three months later, Carleen received a phone call on the following Monday calling her back in.  The swab had revealed cancerous cells inside her womb.  Fortunately this was a very early stage of the disease (Stage 1b) and was still in the lining of the womb rather than the surrounding muscle.

Carleen was told that she would have to have a hysterectomy and this was scheduled in quite quickly.  The operation she underwent also removed her ovaries.  Carleen did question why they would be removed as she had just got married and had yet to start a family.  In retrospect she wishes that the had challenged that one decision – if she had kept the ovaries, she might have been able to try for IVF and surrogacy, and not had to take HRT, but in the shock of the moment of finding out she had cancer she simply went along with the experts. 

Carleen has now survived for 5 years and is in the first year of her training to be a midwife.  Her advice to other women is ‘Listen to your body, don’t be put off if you really think something is wrong, ask as many questions as you need to and don’t be afraid to get a second opinion’. 

*Having no periods for long periods of time can in fact increase the risk of endometrial cancer.

Follow us / Join us: