Every year 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK. Most cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in women who have gone through ‘the change of life’ or menopause.

This means that most cases are in women over the age of 50 but younger women can also get ovarian cancer. Being one of the major health problems of women, renowned fashion entrepreneur Mrs. Bertha Owusu has identified the need to set up a foundation to raise the awareness of ovarian cancer especially in Africa where this awareness is very low and also to support women who are already suffering from this disease.

The Bertha Owusu Ovarian Cancer Foundation will be launched on Saturday 17th August at the Alisa Hotel, North Ridge in Accra Ghana at exactly 10am. The launch will attract women in higher offices in Ghana and other African countries.

The sooner ovarian cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. Survival can be over 90% for women diagnosed at the earliest stage of ovarian cancer.

That means that nine out of ten women will survive for five or more years. Cervical screening tests – sometimes known as smear tests – will not help to detect ovarian cancer, some of the symptoms of ovarian cancer are similar to those seen in more common conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) so general practices may find it hard to diagnose, but for general practices to be able to spot a possible case of ovarian cancer, women need to learn to recognize the symptoms and go to see their doctor as soon as possible.

The foundation is supported by Ovacome UK, Target Ovarian cancer UK, McMillan cancer support, Teal the Deal UK and Lister hospital Accra Ghana.