Sunday 15 May 2022 01:19 PM Ovarian cancer: Emma Fitzgerald shares sudden weight gain led to diagnosis trends now
A young student has issued a warning to women after the sudden weight gain she put down to stress turned out to be a sign of potentially deadly ovarian cancer.
Emma Fitzgerald, from Melbourne, began suffering from a string of typically innocuous symptoms - bloating, fatigue, irregular periods, and nausea - in early 2020.
Working part-time and studying journalism, the then 26-year-old blamed the common ailments on her busy lifestyle.
But in July when the persistent symptoms transformed into agonising stomach pain, Ms Fitzgerald decided it was time to go to the doctor.
Emma Fitzgerald, 28, has issued a warning after seemingly innocuous symptoms turned out to be sinister
She was referred to specialists who discovered her protruding belly was concealing 'borderline' ovarian tumours - halfway between benign and malignant - which could have developed into terminal cancer if she had ignored her symptoms any longer.
'I was in disbelief. It never even crossed my mind that it was a possibility... I was only 26 years old,' she told 7News.
'When my stomach became incredibly bloated, I just thought I was getting fat. I exercised relentlessly for quite a while and I was so frustrated my stomach was getting larger.'
Ms Fitzgerald said her gynaecological oncologist explained borderline tumours are like having a 'halfway cancer'.
A 13cm tumour was found on her right ovary, a smaller one on her left, and several other little growths were scattered throughout her abdomen.
The journalism student noticed her abdomen was protruding but dismissed the condition as stress-related
She needs to continually monitor her body as she still has abnormal cysts in her abdomen
