DATUK Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, founder and executive chairman of the Primanora Medical Centre, advises mothers to take their daughters to a gynaecologist and get a scan done within the first three years after the child has started menstruating.
“I’m seeing younger and younger girls with tumours inside them. I don’t know what they are eating and drinking but now we have younger girls who come in with big ovarian cancers and fibroids. These things are hormone-dependent; perhaps they start to grow when she starts having her menses. Sometimes there are no symptoms. “Mothers must tell their daughters to be responsible for their body, to know what is normal, because only they will know when something is not right.
“If they feel something is not right, they should tell their mother about it. Then see a gynaecologist. If the doctor says there is nothing wrong and you still feel something is not right, get a second opinion. If you’re still not happy, get a third and fourth opinion. “From the time they get their menses till they get married, women should have a scan every three years even if they feel they’re normal. Once they get married, see the gynae every year,” she advises.
To read more, go to ParenThots.
The Star Newspaper, Wednesday May 19, 2010
