A woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer aged 23 says she felt "too young" to have the illness - and initially thought she was just bloated. 

Emma Colledge, now 25, first noticed her stomach bloating in February 2022 but by September of that year, doctors thought she looked nine months pregnant. 

An ultrasound scan revealed the Durham admin assistant had a 30cm cyst on her left ovary - which a biopsy confirmed was cancerous. 

Emma was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer and was told she'd need to undergo two major surgeries - including a hysterectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy. 

Emma.Emma Colledge. (Image: EMMA COLLEDGE/SWNS)

After her treatment, she's now cancer-free after being given the all-clear in May 2023.

Emma is hoping to find alternative ways to have a baby with her partner, Jake, 24, after the second surgery - which included a hysterectomy - left her infertile. 

Emma said: “I didn’t believe it - I just kept thinking 'I'm only 23.'

“To be honest, I was angry. 

“I was angry that I couldn’t change anything and that I didn’t know anyone else like me.”

Emma noticed in February 2022 that she was becoming increasingly bloated after eating. 

Emma in hospital showing how bloated she had become.Emma in hospital showing how bloated she had become. (Image: EMMA COLLEDGE/SWNS)

When she lay on her stomach, it felt like there was a small ball inside of her.

She visited her GP the same month and says she was told to go home and take a pregnancy test. 

“My stomach was big and hard and we all thought I was pregnant,” she said. 

“But I knew I wasn’t because I’d done pregnancy tests before I went to the doctor.

“It was just so out of the question.”

Her doctor also referred her for an ultrasound scan and she was given anti-sickness pills to take in the meantime. 

Emma during Chemo.Emma during Chemo. (Image: EMMA COLLEDGE/SWNS)

But during the six-month wait for the scan, Emma’s symptoms worsened significantly. 

She couldn’t eat anything without feeling or being sick and felt the need to urinate “constantly.”

Her ultrasound in September 2022 revealed she had a 30cm cyst in her ovary and she immediately had it biopsied. 

Just one day later, she was confirmed to have stage 3c ovarian cancer - and was told she would need to undergo intensive treatment. 

She said: “I got told I had the cyst and the next day, got told it was cancer. 

“In the end, I got referred to a different hospital.”

Emma on holiday after her treatment.Emma on holiday after her treatment. (Image: EMMA COLLEDGE/SWNS)

The first step in Emma’s cancer treatment was to undergo a procedure to remove the tumour from her left ovary. 

It took five-and-a-half hours and Emma would need to come back two months’ later for her second surgery, to remove her womb, uterus, appendix and part of her bowel - which would keep the cancer from spreading. 

“I was told the day after my first surgery that I’d need a second,” she said. 

“I needed lots of organs removed - my uterus, cervix, appendix and part of my bowel.”

The prospect of Emma never being able to have children really upset her. 

Doctors were open with her about it - and she was offered the chance to freeze her eggs, but the waiting list was too long. 

She was told she’d also need a stoma for a year - which knocked her confidence.

“I hated it, I wore baggy clothes to cover it up.” she said. 

"I thought it was ugly - after everything I've been through I've got to use the toilet out of a bag.

“I was so upset about the hysterectomy.

“I’ve always wanted to have kids, and to have that taken away was painful.

“But, if it was going to save my life, it was worth doing. 

“My consultant was really good.

“She said 'you don’t have to have this if you don’t want to.’

“But she told me the cancer could potentially spread everywhere.

“So it was best to get it gone.”

Emma’s six rounds of chemotherapy began in December and lasted until April. 

She was surprised at how “little” it affected her - she lost her hair, had some leg pain and lost her taste. 

In May, she was given the all-clear by her doctor. 

She said: “I still have blood taken every three months. 

“And I had my stoma removed in October - it took a while to get back to myself.

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"I started to feel better - I could bend down, tie my shoelaces and wear my jeans again."

Now, she’s helped to create a network of other young women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

“Getting a diagnosis is so hard for young women,” she added. 

“It’s always dismissed as period pains, IBS and endometriosis.

“It’s such a fight to get doctors to look further into it.

“I’m having to look into alternative ways to have a baby of my own. 

“Jake and I have spoken about egg donors, adoption and fostering in the future.”