Mum treated for cancer urges others to get checked

Kirsty Treen was diagnosed in March 2024 and is now in remission

A mother who was treated for ovarian cancer has urged other women not to ignore potential symptoms of the disease and get themselves checked.

Kirsty Treen, 39, from Chippenham, Wiltshire, was diagnosed in March 2024 after she recognised symptoms connected with the condition.

About 7,500 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK every year, according to charity, Ovarian Cancer Action.

Ms Treen is now in remission and calling on others to "listen to their bodies" and speak to a doctor if they think something is not right.

She visited her GP after experiencing a bloated stomach which was sore to touch, as well as unexpected bleeding.

After initially being told she might have been suffering from an infection, a subsequent scan revealed a "mass" on her ovaries and she was put on a cancer treatment pathway.

"When I heard that word my whole world just fell down around me", said Ms Treen.

"I remember just standing in the hospital car park after my appointment in a daze, it was overwhelming."

Further tests confirmed ovarian cancer and she underwent 11 hours of surgery, followed by four months of chemotherapy.

Ovarian cancer mostly affects women over the age of 50 and can still affect women if ovaries have been removed.

By chance, Ms Treen had seen a social media post from a friend about the symptoms and she credits this with "probably" saving her life.

"Trust your intuition and get yourself checked out – the earlier this type of cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better your outcome will be", she said.