Northampton woman, 24, has ovary removed after rare cancer leaves her with one stone tumour

A 24-year-old Northampton woman wants to raise awareness of a rare type of Ovarian cancer after her diagnosis led to the removal of one of her ovaries.

It was only in December, last year when Manisha Lekh, 24, from Kingsthorpe complained of abdominal pains to her partner.

Soon the pain became 'unbearable' so Manisha was rushed to A&E at Northampton General Hospital on December 21, where she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer.

Manisha said: "I did not really process it at first.The pain started in my lower stomach - I had a urine infection the month before so I thought it would go away.

"I started getting sharp pains in my lower abdomen and in my lower back. Once I had the really bad back pain, I could not sleep because of it and that was when I decided to go to A&E."

Doctors discovered a malignant germ cell ovarian tumour on one of Manisha's ovaries. These kinds of tumours are rare and usually affect girls and young women up to their early thirties, according to Cancer Research UK.A week following Manisha's diagnosis, her stomach began to rapidly bloat giving her the appearance of being seven months pregnant - according to Manisha's nurse.

Surgery to remove Manisha's tumour was scheduled for the end of January. The tumour, however, became infected over the Christmas period and she was rushed to hospital for emergency care after her oxygen levels dropped, her heart rate became irregular and she had a high fever.

She had emergency surgery a week later, which saw the removal of her left ovary and fallopian tube along with the tumour. The tumour weighed one and a half stone and measured 27 centimetres in diameter.

Manisha was left with a large vertical scar along her abdomen, which runs from her sternum down to her bikini line.

Following her surgery, she experienced a great deal of anxiety and pain as she was unable to walk or talk properly due to the swelling around her lungs and stomach.

She said: "​Once I had my surgery, I had to wait a month to heal before I could start any chemo treatment and now I am on day three of my chemo treatment.

"It is a very strong one so I am already feeling the effects. I have a fever and have been throwing up a lot."

Manisha is currently waiting to hear the results from a biopsy that will inform her if the cancer has spread to her right ovary. If this is the case, her other ovary will also have to be removed, which would dash her hopes of conceiving a child with her partner.

Manisha said: "That was the biggest thing about this whole process. The fact that I have lost an ovary. This has affected me and my partner. It's the not knowing what is going to happen."

As Manisha continues to undergo two types of chemotherapy treatment both in Northampton and London, she has been forced to consider a number of options including freezing her eggs, IVF treatment and surrogacy.

Manisha said: "I have been through so much so I may not be able to carry a baby myself. Having so many needles and the mental side of it too... I am not okay.

"It has been traumatic. Everyone who has helped me has been so great. Everyone at NGH has just been great and seeing how much everyone has been doing, I just want to bring awareness to the condition and what people go through."

She gave some words of advice to people, who have been experiencing unusual pains in their bodies.

Manisha said: "If you feel anything at all is wrong with your body, please get it checked out."

To find out more about germ cell ovarian tumours, visit the Cancer Research UK website.