AN awareness campaign to encourage women to talk to their GP about ovarian cancer ran throughout December.

The charities Ovacome and Go Girls have been working to raise awareness of the condition across Dorset.

Backed by a £10,000 National Lottery grant, they wanted to target the South West in particular as it is home to a higher percentage of older women, post menopausal and therefore more at risk of ovarian cancer.

Ovacome's chief executive Victoria Clare said: "We know that ovarian cancer is often diagnosed late in normal times.

"The problem is that its symptoms — bloating, feeler fuller, abdominal pain and toilet changes —are so similar to common, less serious issues.

“Now with Covid in the picture people are even more likely to delay getting checked out for what on the surface may appear to be fairly innocuous symptoms, leading to more diagnosis at late stages of disease which can be difficult to treat."

If you are concerned about ovarian cancer visit www.ovacome.org.ukcontact or contact Ovacome’s freephone support line on 0800 008 7054.