As we enter Women's Health Week, when thinking about women's cancers, most commonly people think of breast and cervical cancer. But equally as important, yet less commonly discussed, is uterine cancer.
Uterine cancer is the most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer in Western Australian women.
There are two main types of uterine cancers: endometrial (most common 95 per cent) and uterine sarcomas (rarer cancer).
Uterine cancer, if diagnosed at an early stage has a positive prognosis with the five-yearly survival rate sitting at around 84 per cent. The same message prevails; early detection saves lives.
"I knew something wasn't right" – Marie-Louise's story
Marie-Louise was used to painful periods. Since her teenage years, she'd experienced painful and irregular periods and had previously been diagnosed with ovarian cysts.
So when her periods started becoming irregular and sometimes disappearing altogether, she initially told herself it was just stress.
"At the time, my husband was deployed with the Royal Australian Navy, serving in the Gulf on a peacekeeping mission. So, I told myself it was probably just stress or hormones. But deep down, I knew something wasn't quite right," she says.
She visited her GP, went through blood tests, and was eventually referred to a gynaecologist to investigate a possible endometriosis diagnosis.
Her gynaecologist suggested she might have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and said they'd talk more at a routine six-week follow-up. But Marie-Louise had a gut feeling that something else was going on. So she began to do her own research.
"I started researching, mostly out of instinct, not panic. I read about uterine cancer", she shares.
"I didn't tick most of the boxes, but I had started menstruating young, had a possible PCOS diagnosis, and was experiencing irregular and prolonged bleeding. It stayed with me," she says.
Then, a few days later she received an unexpected phone call.
