The word Cancer (derived from crab) was coined many thousands of years ago; since that time, modern medicine has come a long way in the prevention, screening and treatment of this life altering disease. Women’s health checks which now include cancer screening, have allowed for many early cancers to be detected and then managed, before the disease fully takes hold. In Australia we are fortunate to have many screening programs such as breast cancer, cervical cancer and bowel cancer screening where women who are “symptom free” are screened for the disease/cancer in the hopes of catching it early. The cervical cancer screening program in conjunction with the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccination program in fact has been so successful that deaths from the disease have more than halved since its introduction in 1991, and Australia is on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035! Unfortunately, not all cancers are as easily detectable, more funding and research is needed in this area to make a true impact. Women are encouraged to present for a health check with their GP if something is different such as unusual bleeding or pain. This is especially so if there is an existing positive family history of cancers. Every girl and woman deserves access to quality healthcare without biases or barriers. Please do not ignore or brush away those symptoms, the old mindset of “just get on with it” is fortunately a thing of the past. Our doctors are here to listen to and support you.