A WOMAN has revealed how a doctor told her to "eat yogurt" after mistaking her womb cancer for gluten intolerance – leaving her childless.
Dafina Malovska, then 34, saw her GP four times in four months when she became incredibly bloated in 2014 – but it was dismissed as dietary issues.
By the time doctors found the tumour, she needed a hysterectomy to save her life.
Dafina, now 40, of Carshalton, Surrey, is campaigning for annual female health check-ups, so others do not have to suffer the same ordeal.
The trainee life coach told the Mirror: “My devastating experience with a late womb cancer diagnosis made me realise healthcare in this country is severely failing women.”
When Dafina first complained of bloating to her GP, she was sent straight to a gastroenterologist who found no problems and told her to eat Activia for probiotics.
Frustrated by the NHS treatment, she eventually paid for a private gynaecologist who found a half-kilo lump on her uterus.
Stage two cancer had already spread to her ovaries.
Dafina said: “I was so scared I was going to die that I didn’t really have time to think about the children I’d never have.
"It was later, while I was recovering, that it hit me. I cried a lot. I was also scared no man would ever want to be with me.”
Gynaecological cancers: the facts
According to Cancer Research UK, 3,000 women are diagnosed every year with cervical cancer.
But 18,000 women are diagnosed with the other types of gynaecological cancer for which there aren’t any checks:
– Womb cancer (9,300 women diagnosed each year)
– Ovarian cancer (7,300 women diagnosed each year)
– Vulval cancer (1,300 women diagnosed each year)
– Vaginal cancer (240 women diagnosed each year)
As with all cancer, it's important to catch gynaecological conditions early so they can be treated most effectively.
More than 7,600 women die from a gynaecological cancer every year in the UK, or 21-a-day.
Six months later, Dafina met boyfriend Ashton, who she's now engaged to. She waited a month to tell him the truth, in case it was a deal breaker.
She said: "Although he had always wanted children, he wanted to be with me more. I am happy that I am still alive and I can share my story.”
Dafina has launched an online petition, backed by MPs, calling for annual gynaecological checks like in many other European countries.
France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Macedonia, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic already do this as standard.
She said: "This should be as normal as visiting your dentist. It will save lives.”
Womb cancer: the facts
Cancer of the womb (uterine or endometrial cancer) is a common cancer affecting the female reproductive system. It's more common in women who have been through the menopause.
The most common symptom is abnormal bleeding (although most people with abnormal bleeding do not have cancer).
If you have been through the menopause, any bleeding is considered abnormal.
If you haven't been through the menopause, abnormal bleeding includes bleeding in between periods or having heavier than normal periods.
If you notice any abnormal bleeding, you should see your GP. Even if it's not cancer, it could be a symptom of endometriosis or fibroids (non-cancerous growths in the womb).
Less common symptoms include tummy pain and pain during sex.
For more info, check the NHS website.
England's ovarian cancer survival rates are the second lowest out of 30 European countries.
More than 7,600 women die from a gynaecological cancer every year in the UK, or 21-a-day.
To sign Dafina’s petition, visit change.org/checkMEupUK
Source: Read Full Article