A BRAVE mum-of-two has spoken out about her battle with ovarian cancer and urged people to 'trust their instincts' if they believe something is wrong.

Julie Haworth, from Haslingden, was just 44 when she underwent a hysterectomy to remove her womb following her diagnosis.

Her world was changed when she found a hard lump lower down to the right hand side near her pelvis after experiencing stomach pains.

But Mrs Haworth said her GPs dismissed her symptoms as ‘nothing to worry about’ and probably just a fibroid (non-cancerous growth).

It was only when a specialist at Burnley General Teaching Hospital told her there was definitely a large cyst that Mrs Haworth needed a hysterectomy.

She underwent the surgery and it was discovered it was cancer.

Luckily, it had been caught at an early stage and Mrs Haworth did not need further treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

She has been having regular check-ups since then and towards the end of this year, it will be five years since her surgery.

If all is well when she reaches this milestone, it will be her final check-up.

Mrs Haworth, now 49, and who is married to Ian and has two daughters, Lucy, 22 and Sophie, 20, said: “Once I got to Burnley Hospital, I could not fault the NHS. It was getting there that was the hurdle.

“I understand that GPs can’t always get everything right but I felt a gut instinct that there was something more serious wrong.

“I could feel this lump and I could feel it was getting bigger.

“When the surgeons removed it, they told me the size of a Gala melon had been taken out of me.

“GPs might have lots of training and expertise but no one knows their own body better than you.

“I would urge people to trust their instincts if they truly believe something is seriously wrong.

“My cancer was only caught at an early stage because of my persistence.”

When Mrs Haworth was attending her appointments at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust (ELHT), she was given some information about the monthly Gyn and Tonic support group.

She has nothing but praise for the group that supports women in East Lancashire affected by any gynaecological cancer and sees them go along for a coffee and chat.

She said: “I think Gyn and Tonic provides invaluable support and would encourage more women who have been through gynaecological cancers to use it.”

The group meets at Coal Clough Lane Community Centre, 2 Pasturegate Avenue, Burnley, on the second Tuesday of every month from 7pm to 9pm.