#KnowYourBody guest blog by Athena Lamnisos

We’re delighted to present a special guest blog from CEO of The Eve Appeal, Athena Lamnisos, on the importance of recognising the early signs and symptoms of the five gynae cancers #KnowYourBody

At #TeamEve we are very excited to announce a charitable partnership between Sylk and The Eve Appeal over the next 12 months – who will be helping to raise much-needed funds and awareness that these cancers even exist to help fund our pioneering research into early detection, risk-prediction and prevention.

Awareness of gynae cancer is startlingly low among women in the UK. So much so, we’re quite often told by women that the first time they’ve heard of womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval or vaginal cancer, is when they’re sat in a white room with a loved one or a friend, alongside a consultant, telling them the devastating news that they’ve just been diagnosed with one. This needs to change and we can’t do it on our which is why partnerships are so vital to reach new audiences with this important, potential lifesaving message.

We need to raise awareness – not just for 21,000 women who are diagnosed with a gynae cancer each year – but for every woman who we want to protect from developing one of these cancers by making them aware of the signs and symptoms. This is every mother, daughter, sister partner and friend.

For women recovering from or going through treatment for a gynaecological cancer or who have had preventative surgery (for example if they have a genetic predisposition) – which can be devastating in itself – side-effects such as vaginal dryness can be an unwelcome and uncomfortable fact.

Every purchase of Sylk will contribute to The Eve Appeal

We are thrilled that for every bottle of Sylk purchased over the next 12 months, a donation will be made to The Eve Appeal with a target of £10,000.  This will make such an amazing contribution in supporting our work and we’re delighted that promotional packs are now available.

It’s so important for all women to #KnowYourBody; what’s normal for you, and most importantly what is NOT normal for you. That’s why we, along with Sylk hope to change this through this partnership.

There is a real need to address the stigma and taboos that surround women’s health and ultimately start women talking about gynae cancers, and their associated signs and symptoms. That’s why using proper anatomical terms around gynae health such as vagina and vulva are key, whilst talking openly about common symptoms such as vaginal dryness or changes to periods and bleeding.

These are all vital steps towards better awareness and ultimately the early diagnosis of these diseases – which we know is key to saving the lives of women today, and the daughters of tomorrow.

Here’s to a very exciting and relevant partnership we hope will benefit women of today and of the future.