Last month, March 2024, was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

To mark the occasion, a group of ‘Teal Heroes’ descended on Westminster to drive forward justice for the 7,500 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and raise awareness of the disease.

MPs from across the nations donned teal in a special event hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ovarian Cancer and Target Ovarian Cancer.

Teal is the colour for ovarian cancer awareness, and during March the charity aimed to dispel common misconceptions about the disease.

The teal-wearing supporters busted myths around Parliament, highlighting:

• The four main symptoms of ovarian cancer, which 4 in 5 women do not know:
  • persistent bloating
  • abdominal pain
  • needing to wee more often
  • feeling full quickly
• Cervical screening does not detect ovarian cancer – which 40% of women wrongly believe

Attending the event, Jeff Smith MP said:

“There are 41,000 women living with ovarian cancer, yet awareness of the disease is alarmingly low. We must improve this so that women know the symptoms to look out for, seek help as early as possible and receive the treatment they need. Teal Heroes is just one way to spread awareness, so together we can empower women to see their GP if they notice the symptoms and are concerned.”

“Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths amongst women in the UK. With no screening tool, awareness and understanding of the symptoms is imperative to better outcomes.”

Sharon Hodgson MP, Chair of the APPG on Ovarian Cancer, said:

“Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths amongst women in the UK, and we must change this. Increasing awareness of the symptoms, and ensuring women know the facts from the fiction could lead to improved knowledge, and ultimately earlier diagnosis of the disease. By joining forces with my fellow Teal Heroes in Parliament, I believe we can get the nation talking about ovarian cancer.”

Rachel Downing, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Target Ovarian Cancer, said:

“It was fantastic to have MPs join us to raise vital awareness of ovarian cancer. We need to see continued funded national symptoms campaigns and we look forward to closely working with MPs to ensure we can make necessary change happen to improve the lives of women living with ovarian cancer.”

Target Ovarian Cancer is calling for national symptoms awareness campaigns, increased education of the disease and support for GPs, and improved access to treatment and support. You can find out more about the charity’s work, and how to support it, at: www.targetovariancancer.org.uk.

The charity is determined to dispel common misconceptions of ovarian cancer. Join Target Ovarian Cancer in raising awareness by downloading the charity’s toolkit:  https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/get-involved/raise-awareness.