A MUM claims trusting her “intuition” caught her cancer – as doctors had blamed “stress and hormones” and told her to “go for some walks”.
Hollie Pardue had been experiencing what she believed to be a postpartum period after the birth of her third child in January last year.
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When the bleeding had not stopped after six weeks, the 31-year-old says she went to her GP twice and said they prescribed her two different contraceptive pills, but neither stopped the bleeding.
In May, the mum-of-three had an internal ultrasound but nothing abnormal showed up.
Hollie admits she was “really disappointed” when her doctor reportedly told her it was likely “stress and hormones” were causing her symptoms and advised her to “get better nights’ sleep” and “go for some walks”.
Despite this, the dental treatment coordinator could not shake the feeling something was wrong and pushed her GP to have another smear test – despite one in 2023 giving her the all-clear.
READ MORE ON CERVICAL CANCER
Less than two weeks later, in June 2024, Hollie was invited to have a colposcopy.
Doctors also took a biopsy that determined Hollie had cervical cancer.
Thankfully, it could be treated. But Hollie wants to raise awareness of her diagnosis and encourage those who may be experiencing similar symptoms to have them investigated.
Hollie, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: “He [the doctor] did say to me after I had these tests done, ‘I think it’s just stress and hormones’.
“He told me, ‘You’ve just had a baby, just try to get some better sleep, go out on some walks and hopefully things will die down’.
“I felt really disappointed. I did appreciate that there had been tests done that weren’t showing any concern in any areas.
“However, I’ve never been the type to take a pill to cover an issue.
“To me, the bleeding was happening for a reason and I wanted to know what that reason was.
“People refer to it as ‘mum’s intuition’, when their baby is poorly they just know, and I feel like I definitely have that with myself.”
Despite “absolutely respecting doctors and the levels of training they go through”, Hollie knew in her gut that something wasn’t right.
“You need to be able to advocate for yourself,” she added.
“The doctor’s advice just didn’t feel right to me. Sleep and walks didn’t feel like an appropriate course of action to fix this issue.
“I had to say, ‘Look, I’m not happy’. That is really hard for some people, to go against someone who, of course, usually knows best.
“I was told my previous smear test was OK, but I’m glad I trusted myself and spoke up.
“We’d be looking at another year until my next smear and already I’ve done my treatment for my cancer.
“It’s scary to think that I’d be waiting another year to find out that I’ve even got cancer.”
The minute we shut the car door I burst out crying. I said to my partner, ‘I’m going to die’
Hollie Pardue
Doctors initially believed Hollie’s cancer was stage 1B, meaning the cancerous area was larger but had not spread.
But after further scans, they realised the disease was not only in her cervix, but also in the lymph nodes around her pelvis and hips.
She was given a formal diagnosis of stage 3C1 on July 17, 2024, and began a six-week course of chemotherapy around a month later.
Hollie also underwent radiotherapy and brachytherapy, a form of radiation therapy, and had her last treatment on October 31, 2024.
She is currently waiting to find out how the treatment has gone and expects an update in March this year.
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Hollie said: “To be told your stage was so high, it felt like a death sentence.
“I was crying my eyes out, I was like, ‘I don’t want to lose my hair’.
“I held it together walking out of the hospital because I thought, ‘I do not want people watching me cry as I walk out of here’.
“The minute we shut the car door I burst out crying. I said to my partner, ‘I’m going to die’.
“He told me not to be silly, and reminded me there were treatment options, but of course you don’t feel like that at the time.”
Hollie described her treatment plan as “intense” and said “it all happened very quickly”.
“Mentally, I feel good, which is why I feel like I’m in a good position now to start speaking about my experience and start raising awareness about it,” she added.
Lifelong impact
“Physically, I have some aftermath from the treatment. I’m only 31 and I’ve got three children so I was really hoping to not get too many symptoms and side effects.
“However, I’ve definitely got some damage to my hips and pelvis; walking around hurts, which isn’t ideal. It’s not really what I was expecting.
“I am also going into early menopause. That was a long-term side effect of the treatment, and I’d be infertile afterwards.
“That’s really a tricky thing to juggle being so young; it’s not something I had on my to-do list any time soon.”
How to get checked
Cervical screening is offered to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64.
It’s not a test for cancer, but it helps to prevent cancer.
You will get a letter in the post inviting you to make an appointment, usually at your GP surgery.
- Women under 25 are invited up to six months before they turn 25.
- Those aged 25 to 49 are invited every three years, women 50 to 64 are invited every five years.
- Anyone 65 or older is only invited if a recent test was abnormal.
During the appointment, a small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix.
The sample is checked for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix.
If these types of HPV are not found, you do not need any further tests.
If these types of HPV are found, the sample is checked for any changes in the cells of your cervix. These can be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
The nurse or doctor will tell you when you can expect your results letter.
One of Hollie’s previous smear tests had shown she had HPV and abnormal cells, and in 2022 she underwent a LLETZ procedure to remove them.
Doctors told her these were precancerous cells and followed up with another smear test, but in March 2023, Hollie was told everything was fine and that she was able to go ahead with getting pregnant.
Hollie said: “It was quite difficult to know what was pregnancy and what was something more sinister.
“I did have pelvic hip pain, but my baby was born early at 9lb 6oz, so he was quite a big baby.
“You would have thought something may have flagged up at some point that was abnormal.”
Hollie was on maternity leave when she received her diagnosis and had to take a further six months off of work, but has since returned.
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How to protect yourself against cervical cancer
CERVICAL cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women in their early 30s, with around 3,200 new cases and 850 deaths each year in the UK.
According to CRUK, the five-year survival rate is around 70 per cent – and the earlier it is caught, the better.
Cervical screening programmes and HPV vaccines have reduced rates and save 4,000 lives each year.
It is vital you attend your smear test and get jabbed when invited, and that you know the symptoms of cervical cancer to look out for.
These aren’t always obvious, and they may not become noticeable until the cancer has reached an advanced stage.
But you might notice:
- Unusual bleeding (often after sex, between periods, or after the menopause)
- Pain and discomfort during sex
- Vaginal discharge (often unpleasant smelling)
- Pain in your lower back, between your hip bones or in your lower tummy
Women are invited to have regular cervical screenings between the ages of 25 and 64. How often depends on your age.
The HPV vaccine, which helps protect against the virus, is recommended for children aged 12 to 13 and people at higher risk from HPV.
Source: NHS and Cancer Research UK