World Ovarian Cancer Day 2025 – An Introduction to Ovacome | Guest Post

07 May 2025 — jessica-bailey

For over 25 years, Ovacome has been supporting individuals affected by ovarian cancer. In this guest blog, for World Ovarian Cancer Day on 8th May 2025, they talk us through why raising awareness of this disease is so important, as well as ways in which you can get involved or get support from the charity. 

Introducing Ovacome – Who exactly are we?

Ovacome is the UK’s ovarian cancer support charity, focused on providing support and information to anyone affected by ovarian cancer. This includes people who have either been diagnosed with the disease or think that they might be at risk, as well as their friends and family and healthcare professionals. We are a membership charity, which means that we are guided directly by the ovarian cancer community – as of today we have over 5000 members!

Unfortunately, 7,500 people in the UK alone are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, illustrating the necessity and importance of awareness raising campaigns like World Ovarian Cancer Day in May (WOCD) and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (OCAM) in March. By raising awareness and offering information and support we will hopefully improve diagnostic outcomes.

At Ovacome we host face to face and online events across the UK and provide crucial support through our support service phone line to thousands of people affected by this disease. As a charity we receive no government funding and are solely reliant on fundraised income, which means raising awareness of ovarian cancer and our efforts as a charity is key in allowing us to continue to support those in need.

Understanding Ovarian Cancer

Now you know a bit about who we are, it’s logical to want to know more about ovarian cancer as a disease and what it entails. First of all, ovarian cancer is an uncommon cancer which affects 1 in 50 people according to statistics from Cancer Research UK. There are also many different types of ovarian cancer and it can be tricky to diagnose due to the fact that the symptoms are not always apparent or directly indicative of the disease.

What we mean by that is that the symptoms of ovarian cancer are often the same or similar to less serious conditions – for example, bloating, which can easily be dismissed as IBS or something much more benign than ovarian cancer. This issue coupled with the fact that there is currently no screening test for ovarian cancer means sometimes

people face misdiagnosis or have to wait considerable amounts of time to get a concrete diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

But wait – doesn’t cervical screening detect ovarian cancer?

The answer is a resounding no!

Common misconceptions like this also add to the problematic nature on getting earlier ovarian cancer diagnosis’s, while discourse around the subject is often confused due to a lack of awareness and information – something we want to change at Ovacome!

B.E.A.T – A straightforward message with a powerful impact

As we’ve already established, diagnosing ovarian cancer can sometimes be difficult. One way in which we’ve tried to raise awareness of some of the most common symptoms is by launching a memorable acronym which we call B.E.A.T.

Using B.E.A.T. it’s much easier to remember some of the key things that can be a symptom of ovarian cancer:

B is for bloating that doesn’t come and go

E is for eating difficulty and feeling full more quickly

A is for abdominal and pelvic pain you feel most days

T is for toilet changes in urination or bowel habits

While B.E.A.T. can be a useful tool, it’s important to remember ovarian cancer is still uncommon. However, if you are experiencing these symptoms and you are worried, it’s really important you visit a GP for further investigation.

Our awareness raising efforts, events and support

Ovarian Cancer can be diagnosed at different stages, a stage represents how far the cancer has spread at the time it is discovered. Earlier stages indicate less spread and often lead to better treatment outcomes than later stages.

Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is most commonly diagnosed at Stage 3, which is usually because it’s much harder to detect at earlier stages. This is one of the reasons that raising awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms is so critical in improving patient outcomes.

To raise awareness of ovarian cancer we’ve been doing a variety of things across our online platforms. A principal thing we’ve showcased is some of our Member Stories, which delve into how some of our members have been affected by ovarian cancer.

Platforming their stories allows them to share their experiences, thoughts and feelings, while also offering insight and perspective that may be helpful to others affected by the disease. This year we have tried to get people to #TalkTeal – encouraging people to talk about ovarian cancer openly, and not shy away from it even though it can be a difficult conversation. We’ve also been putting out informational posts, ensuring that everybody can have access to information about ovarian cancer – we strongly believe that health information should be accessible for all.

Alongside providing online and phone support, one of the most important things we do is hosting free Health and Wellbeing Days around the UK for anyone affected by ovarian cancer. These events are an opportunity to attend informational talks and workshops, as well as the chance to meet others affected by the disease. We have upcoming events in Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Liverpool – and you can find out more and register for any of the events here: https://www.ovacome.org.uk/health-and-wellbeing-days

Our events will also be listed on this brilliant site too, so be sure to also check Cancer Care Map regularly to see if we have any upcoming events near you!

Liz, who is an Ovacome Member, recently attended one of our Health and Wellbeing Days and spoke about her overall experience with Ovacome:

“I’m so glad I found Ovacome as it’s specifically for the cancer I have – with the information and support services, Ovacome has taken me from a lonely scary place to a place of empowerment”.

One of our other major goals, alongside providing support and awareness raising, is to fundraise as much as we can! To help increase the amount raised, we try to showcase our amazing fundraisers and their efforts, as well as highlighting the impact that donations can have.

For example – £28 could provide an hour of 1-1 specialist support for someone affected by ovarian cancer.

Hopefully, you might now be thinking “How can I get involved?”

Fortunately, there are loads of things you can do to help support Ovacome and raise awareness of ovarian cancer!

From donations, to taking on fundraising challenges (walks, runs and everything else!) or even organising your own events, there’s so much you can do to help spread the word and raise funds to make a difference for everyone affected by ovarian cancer. To find out more you can contact us by emailing fundraising@ovacome.org.uk.

If you want to get support from us, you can reach out via:

· Calling us on Freephone* 0800 008 7054.

· Emailing us at support@ovacome.org.uk.

· Sending us a message through the instant chat box on our website.

· Sending us a text message, using SMS or Whatsapp, on 07503 682 311.

For further information and support, please visit our website at www.ovacome.org.uk.

We hope through reading this blog post you’ve taken away some new knowledge about ovarian cancer and feel inspired to help us raise awareness. Thank you!