Colorectal surgeon, Dr Penelope De Lacavalerie explains why we all need to be aware of bowel cancer symptoms, but it's particularly important for young women not to have their symptoms dismissed as 'female issues' or due to pregnancy.

Passionate about human-centric care, Dr De Lacavalerie explains the importance of advocating for your own health and understanding that persistent symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain and anaemia that can’t be explained must be checked.

'We tend to rationalise our symptoms as being something else other than bowel cancer, but any blood is not normal and must be investigated'.