A Northamptonshire woman was left fearing she had cancer after her husband made a 'sinister' discovery while they were having sex.
Husband and wife Melanie and Philip Betteridge were enjoying the morning in January when he noticed a change in his wife's intimate area.
Philip noticed discolouration in his wife's vulva, something which she wasn't previously aware of.
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The discovery left 52-year-old Melanie devastated, admitting that she 'burst into tears' after her husband showed her a photo of the lesion.
Fearing the worst, Melanie made an appointment with her local GP who urgently referred her to Kettering General Hospital after informing her that she may have cancer of the vulva.
Melanie then underwent further assessment and thankfully, after four biopsies, she was told her lesions were pre-cancerous and slow progressing.
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She was diagnosed with vulval intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), a condition which sees abnormal cells develop along the top layer of skin covering the vulva. Symptoms often include burning, discharge and itchiness in the vulva area. The condition itself is not cancerous, but can often turn malignant if left untreated.
Melanie underwent further surgery to remove the lesions in April has said she feels lucky to be alive and is grateful that eagle-eyed Philip noticed the change in her intimate area.
"We were being intimate on the Sunday morning and then afterwards he said 'babe I think there's something you need to look at'," she recalled.
"He said 'I've noticed some discolouration on your skin'. It was on my labia then came down towards my thigh."
She continued: "I'd never noticed it. I hadn't looked down for years - well not that intimately. I was a bit worried. He's a very laid back guy and if he wasn't suspicious, he wouldn't have worried me.
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"My natural response was 'can you take a photograph of it so I can see it'. He took the photo and I burst into tears because I knew something was wrong. I knew my own body and knew it wasn't good."
Melanie explained that the news left her concerned about how she would break the news to her kids, and whether or not she was 'going to die.'
"I was massively relieved it was just pre-cancerous," the mum-of-two said, adding that she hadn't had any prior symptoms.
She went on to praise her vigilant husband for noticing the lesions, adding that she felt 'massively lucky' for having a loving relationship which helped identify the suspicious growth.
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"At the end of the day, I am 52 and a lot of the couples at this age don't really bother anymore. We've been together 18 years and we're still massively in love," she said.
"I'm just massively lucky we still have that kind of relationship because a lot of people our age don't. But it's a good reason to get intimate with your husband - I'm so happy we were intimate that day."
Melanie added that she'll have to remain vigilant as there's still 'a chance it could come back' but remains grateful that she was able to get the condition treated early.
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"Without finding it, it would've turned. All my cells are right on the edge of cancer and could quite easily have progressed in a year or two," she said.
"I say to anyone now please go and get anything you're concerned checked out. It's an intimate area but it's only a minute or two of discomfort and awkwardness. Put your health first, the doctors see it everyday."
Topics: Health, Sex and Relationships, Cancer
Brenna Cooper