However the one myth that really does annoy me and a lot of others who have been diagnosed with this cancer, is that we bring it on ourselves for being fat and lazy.
Womb cancer gets very little media attention but when it does it is usually accompanied by images like this.
A demeaning image of an unidentifiable woman. The jist of the article is usually that obesity is the cause of womb cancer and that if you get diagnosed with it then it’s basically your own fault for being overweight and not doing enough exercise.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that obesity isn’t a risk factor – according to CRUK around 41% of womb cancer cases can be put down to “lifestyle choices” – which means being overweight or a lack of exercise. Which means that 59% of cases are not.
Now, I will admit to being overweight and I was when I was diagnosed. So are quite a lot of the women who come to WCSUK for support after being diagnosed but not all of them are by any means.
Let me introduce you to 2 women who have been diagnosed with womb cancer. Margaret was diagnosed at 54 and Lydia was diagnosed at the age of 24.
Do either of them look obese? They are both also far from lazy. Before being diagnosed Margaret did 6 zumba classes a week and now cycles on a regular basis and Lydia used pole dancing as a form of exercise and keeping fit.
We need to get rid of the stereotypes of what kind of woman gets womb cancer. As you can see from Margaret and Lydia, it also affects women of all ages.
It is vital that we raise awareness of womb cancer and make sure that women of all ages and sizes know about it and know that it could affect them.
Most women have heard of cervical cancer – we want them to know about womb cancer too. Help us #GiveWombCancerAVoice and raise much needed awareness.
You can read more of Lydia's story here