March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month – a time when charities come together to raise awareness of a terrible ­disease that takes the lives of 4,100 women in the UK each year.

Ovarian cancer steals an average of two decades from women’s lives. That means missed anniversaries, birthdays, weddings and first days of school.

Identifying the symptoms of ovarian cancer – including stomach pain, bloating, feeling full more quickly and needing to wee more frequently – is currently the best way to diagnose the disease, but most symptoms become present in the later stages, when the cancer has already begun to spread.

With your help, we can change this and protect future generations from the devastating effects of ovarian cancer.

Launched this month, our #StolenMoments campaign aims to raise £1m to help us develop a new screening tool that detects pre-cancerous cells so they can be removed as early as possible.

This test could stop ovarian cancer in its tracks and give women more time with the ones they love.

For information on ovarian cancer, or to donate to the ­campaign, visit ovarian.org.uk. Thank you for your support.

Katherine Taylor,

chief executive, Ovarian Cancer Action