I've been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer at just 28 - I mistook the key symptom for my period
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A mother-of-one has warned women not to dismiss a telltale sign of deadly ovarian cancer that is often mistaken for an upcoming period. Sophie Casey, 28, from Leeds was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer that had spread around her body in October, after suffering extreme bloating that made her 'look nine months pregnant'.
![[Ms Casey, mum to one-year-old Henry and her partner George Burril, (pictured) are raising funds to help them make memories as a family and spreading awareness of the cancer]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/17/10/93226727-14197119-image-m-6_1734431320245.jpg)
However, both her GP and hospital doctors told her that the worrying symptom was nothing more than a common stomach infection. She was prescribed antibiotics, which ultimately made her vomit. Now, she faces a bleak prognosis and the possibility of having a stoma bag fitted — a disposable bag that collects waste — due to damage to her bowel caused by the ovarian tumour.
![[Ovarian cancer is a rare form of the disease that develops in the ovaries, the female organs that produce eggs. It is often called a 'silent killer', as symptoms don't present until late stages of the disease.]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/11/84714471-14197119-Ovarian_cancer_is_a_rare_form_of_the_disease_that_develops_in_th-a-20_1734347837107.jpg)
'My symptoms could have been my period,' said Ms Casey, adding that the level of bloating she suffered was something she'd 'never had before'. 'People might not think too much into it...but you have to know your body and know your cycle.'. After first visiting her GP back in September, Ms Casey was told it was likely a common infection — such as one contracted from contaminated food — was behind her symptom.
![[Ms Casey is urging women to look out for changes in the menstrual cycle and any symptoms that could be 'everyday issues']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/17/10/93226725-14197119-image-m-22_1734431549218.jpg)
Sophie Casey, 28, from Leeds was diagnosed with stage 4B Ovarian cancer in October, after several visits to her GP, a misdiagnosis and multiple A&E trips. Ms Casey, mum to one-year-old Henry and her partner George Burril, (pictured) are raising funds to help them make memories as a family and spreading awareness of the cancer.
