I'm a busy single mum and ignored a glaring symptom for weeks that led to a shock cancer diagnosis. Now I'm begging Aussie women to hear my warning
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A single mum-of-three revealed how putting her own health at the bottom of her to-do list saw her ignoring dangerous red flags that led to a devastating cancer diagnosis. In July 2023, Abbey Jane, 42, noticed unusual spotting in her underwear but was otherwise fit, healthy and living a busy day-to-day life.
![[Abbey admitted she hadn't kept up to date with pap smears or the cervical screening test for a decade because of how 'invasive' and 'uncomfortable' it had been in the past]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/29/03/92608679-14126301-image-a-6_1732852521673.jpg)
Speaking to FEMAIL, the Geelong mum said: 'I'd had an implant in for a few years and hadn't had a period in a while, so I remember thinking me bleeding was odd. 'It had been three years since I had the rod in, so I thought I was due for a replacement.'.
![[Abbey shared that she leaned heavily on her support system during her treatment]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/29/04/92611091-14126301-image-a-24_1732852914604.jpg)
Abbey booked in to get a new implant installed soon after, but the bleeding never went away. 'I was bleeding every day and I went back to the doctor a few weeks later when it got worse,' she said. After a few scans, Abbey's doctor revealed that she had tested positive for HPV - a very common sexually transmitted infection that often has no symptoms.
![[Abbey shared that it was particularly difficult not being able to communicate the severity of her situation with her children]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/29/03/92611095-14126301-image-a-10_1732852545869.jpg)
Abbey was then referred to a gynaecologist, who discovered a cancerous mass on her cervix. A single mum-of-three revealed how putting her own health at the bottom of her to-do list saw her ignoring dangerous red flags that led to a devastating cancer diagnosis.
![[800 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, 70 per cent of whom aren't up to date with their screening tests]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/29/03/92611091-14126301-image-a-9_1732852538006.jpg)
Abbey admitted she hadn't kept up to date with pap smears or the cervical screening test for a decade because of how 'invasive' and 'uncomfortable' it had been in the past. Most cervical cancers are the result of an infection with certain types of HPV. Four in five people will be infected with at least one type of HPV in their lives. It is usually passed on during sexual contact with someone who has the virus.
