Teen's Ovarian Cancer Was Dismissed for Nearly a Year Before She Entered Menopause at 19

Nearly a Year of Being Told Nothing Was Wrong

Enlli Thompson, a trainee motor mechanic from Caernarfon, spent almost a year seeking answers, making repeated visits to her GP and local A&E department while struggling with persistent stomach problems and headaches — and each time, she was reassured it was something minor: a stomach bug, a urinary infection, or even anxiety. At one point, she was even told it was the water in her village that was causing her illness. For a teenager in her late teens, the idea of ovarian cancer likely never crossed anyone's mind — and that, Enlli believes, was part of the problem.

During one A&E visit, a junior doctor suggested it was likely a urinary infection and told her she should not be occupying A&E time unnecessarily — but when she was informed she would be discharged, she requested a second opinion. That persistence may well have saved her life. It was not until she was placed under the care of Richard Peever's team, a leading specialist gynaecological oncologist, that she felt her concerns were being taken seriously.

A 10cm Mass and a Stage 3 Diagnosis

Referred for an MRI just before Christmas 2024, Enlli met with her surgeon who explained that surgery was necessary even though they weren't entirely sure what the problem was — and it was soon revealed that a 10cm mass had been found and confirmed to be cancerous. Enlli had stage 3 ovarian cancer, meaning it had already spread beyond the pelvis. The diagnosis that had been dismissed for nearly ten months had arrived with devastating force.

In February 2025, she underwent surgery to remove one ovary, a fallopian tube, and the tumours, with biopsies also performed. Then in May 2025, she underwent a full hysterectomy, which plunged her into immediate menopause — at just 19 years old. The surgery that was necessary to save her life also ended, overnight, any chance of naturally carrying her own children.

Fertility, Menopause, and Moving Forward at 19

Enlli described the moment she was told she wouldn't be able to have her own children: "I broke down and cried." A week later, she underwent fertility treatment. "They managed to freeze seven of my eggs which I hope to be able to use in the future." She now copes with hot flushes and brain fog, and after attending a course on the subject, she realised she had more menopause symptoms than she first thought.

She entered remission on November 6, 2025, shortly before her 20th birthday. She finished chemotherapy in September 2025 and has since become a public advocate for ovarian cancer awareness. Despite everything she endured — the dismissals, the surgeries, the chemotherapy, the hair loss, and the abrupt loss of fertility — she maintains that her cancer, the treatment, and everything she has faced has transformed her life for the better.

A Wider Problem That Can't Be Ignored

About 120 young women aged 15–24 are diagnosed with ovarian cancer annually in the UK, including roughly five in Wales. The charity Ovarian Cancer Action has noted that less than 1% of all ovarian cancer diagnoses every year are in women under 20, and it is far more frequently diagnosed in the over-50s. That rarity, however, is precisely what makes cases like Enlli's so dangerous — when a condition is considered unlikely in a demographic, symptoms are far too easy to wave away.

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 19, Enlli had to find her voice to advocate for her own health — and now she's sharing her story to raise awareness and help other young people find the confidence to speak up for themselves. She has said of the senior A&E doctor who finally listened: "If he wouldn't have listened to me, I would definitely not be here today." Her story is a reminder that persistence in the face of dismissal isn't stubbornness — sometimes, it's survival.