This Woman With Cervical Cancer Shared Her Symptoms To Help Others!

Inspiring and brave 24-year-old Heather Keating ​has shared her story of cervical cancer in order to make more women aware of the symptoms and to encourage them to go for smear tests.

On World Cancer Day, February 4 2016, Heather took to Facebook with the aim of sharing her story to help others be more aware of cervical cancer and what symptoms they should look out for.

"I was diagnosed with stage one cervical cancer at the age of 24," she explains in the post. "Because I was 24 I was not entitled to a free smear and the early cell changes in my cervix were not picked up.​"​I started bleeding between my periods and bleeding after sex. I went to see my GP and was told to come back when I was 25 for a smear. I thought that's fine. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I had cancer. Three months later the bleeding got worse and I became anaemic."

Heather explains how she needed an MRI scan to see if the cancer had spread  - which luckily it hadn't - and underwent surgery to remove it from her cervix. 

The good news is, surgery was successful and Heather is now cancer free, and so she took to Facebook to outline the symptoms she experienced and why women Under 25 should make time for smear tests.

"​If your over 25 please go for your smear tests make time for it! They are so important. I wish I had the opportunity to have caught the cell changes before it became cancerous. If you are under 25 and feel something is not right please go and get it check out with your GP."

The symptoms are:

• Abnormal bleeding 
• heavy or longer periods 
• between periods
• after sex 
• after menopause 
• Foul smelling discharge 
• Pain or discomfort in the pelvis or during sex

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