Regular This Morning guest Dr Nighat Arif is warning people to seek medical attention if they experience any of four symptoms for two weeks or more. The full-time GP, who specialises in women’s health and family planning, is a familiar face for viewers of This Morning, and also shares health tips and tricks on her social media feeds.
Dr Nighat shared a “crazy statistic” with her 143,000 Instagram followers on Monday. She said: “85% of women & girls with ovarian cancer reported at least ONE symptom during the year BEFORE diagnosis. Young women & girls can get #ovariancancer so knowing the symptoms are vital for an early diagnosis”.
She went on to share the four main symptoms to look out for, with these being persistent bloating, difficulty eating or feeling full more quickly, needing to pee more frequently or urgently, and pain around your tummy to the top of your thighs. She added: “Seek care if persistent for two weeks or more”.
Other symptoms can include persistent indigestion, back pain, changes in bowel habits – going more often or a lot less, unintentional weight loss, post-menopausal vaginal bleeding, and extreme tiredness, Dr Nighat said. It is important to “talk to your doctor as soon as possible if something feels off with your body or new to you”.
The medical expert added: “The earlier the diagnosis of #ovariancancer the greater the chance of survival”. All of the above symptoms can have numerous causes, and do not mean ovarian cancer is present, however it is important to see a GP as per Dr Nighat’s advice.