Penarth Mum Unable To Have Further Children Following Cervical Cancer Asks Medical Negligence Lawyers To Investigate 

A mum unable to have more children after being diagnosed with cervical cancer has asked specialist medical negligence lawyers to secure answers.

Jessica Mason, of Penarth, Wales, was diagnosed with a 6.5-centimetre tumour around six months after a smear test, which she was told was clear. In the three years before her diagnosis, the mum-of-one had visited GPs and hospital a number of times complaining of symptoms including heavy bleeding, abdominal pain and swelling.

Jessica, who said she felt “fobbed off” by medics, had been given various diagnoses including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a prolapse and endometriosis. She had been advised to perform pelvic floor exercises.

Following her diagnosis, Jessica underwent months of gruelling chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy. She went into an early menopause and underwent a radical hysterectomy, meaning the now 45-year-old her husband Dan, 43, are unable to have more children naturally.

Jessica visited hospital and a GP in March 2019 concerned about heavy bleeding and pain. Following an examination the following month she was told she had a healthy cervix.

She attended two further GP appointments in September and October 2019 as she was suffering from abdominal pain and bloating. A doctor told her she had IBS, Jessica said.

In the summer of 2021, a GP said Jessica probably had a Bartholin’s cyst. However, after Jessica said her pain was higher up, she was referred to gynaecologists who she said encouraged her to do pelvic floor exercises.

In August 2021 Jessia attended hospital complaining on pain. Her cyst popped and she was referred to the prolapse clinic and for an ultrasound because of heaving bleeding.

In January 2022 Jessica’s ultrasound showed she had a thickening of the uterus and she was told the results of a smear test were normal.

However, with her symptoms still persisting, she asked for an MRI scan, following which she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in June 2022.

While Jessica - who has a son Teejay, 17, and 18-year-old step-daughter, Brooke - is cancer free, she continues to live with the effects of her diagnosis and treatment.

She said: “For years I was back and forth to GP appointments or hospital complaining of bleeding and pain. While I knew my body and felt something was wrong, I felt like I had no choice to put my faith in the doctors. However, it felt like nothing was really being done to get to the bottom of my symptoms and I often felt like I was being fobbed off.

“It was only when I demanded an MRI that things started to happen. Finding out I had cancer was devastating, but what was harder to understand was that I’d been attending medical appointments for years and had received a clear smear test six months earlier. Even now I’m still left wondering how long I’d had cervical cancer for and whether it should have been spotted earlier, especially as my tumour was 6.5 centimetres which is about the size of a tennis ball.

“I tried to remain as positive as I could for Dan, Teejay, and Brooke, but it was an extremely emotional time. The treatment was particularly gruelling and took a physical and psychological toll on me. Me and Dan had always discussed having another child but for that to be taken away from us was hard to accept.”  

Since her treatment Jessica has been a supporter of Claire’s Campaign. It was launched by Claire O’Shea, who was diagnosed with gynaecological cancer two years after raising concerns with a GP. She died aged 42 last May.

The campaign, which says women are too often dismissed, unheard or misdiagnosed, seeks to improve health services in Wales for women living with cancer.  

Jessica said: “When I was ill, I rushed and planned my wedding and made a will in case I didn’t survive. In some ways I know I’m one of the lucky ones as I’m alive and cancer free, but it’s difficult not to think I wouldn’t have had to go through what I have had I been listened to.

“I still live with the mental and physical scars. I've got aches and pains and sometimes I can't walk properly. My family and friends have been so supportive and thoughtful, but I feel different to my friends and others my age because of going through the menopause early.

“While I’m cancer free it feels like the impact of cervical cancer on me won’t go away. The least I deserve is answers and I just hope that by speaking out and sharing my story I can help other women.”

Cervical Cancer Prevention Weeks runs from 19-25 January.