Dr Amir Khan

So it's the bit from the entrance all the way up to your cervix, so that corridor there.

And so, again, bleeding, any abnormal bleeding, but any lump in your vagina as well would be a worrying thing.

And it's unusual for you to discover that on your own.

Right.

Now, vaginal cancers are thankfully rare compared to the other gynaecological cancers, but they can be very aggressive because the symptoms are often this lump that nobody knows about.

And so they tend to present late.

I've only in my 22-year career as a doctor seen one case of vaginal cancer.

So vulval cancer.

So remember the vulva is the whole outside part of the female genital tract all the way round, you know, from your front bum to your back bum, essentially.

So all the way round to your anus.

And it's, I always say anything.

I always say a bit like boobs, you know, any changes, come and get it checked with a vulva.

Anything on there, white, red, bleeding, not bleeding, black, ulcerated, shiny, matte, any new... Brothing.

frothing, any new skin changes on the vulva, particularly in women after the menopause, but not exclusively, but that's where it's higher risk.

We need to see you.

Obviously, there's different reasons why people don't come to the doctors, but, you know, just get everything checked, anything and everything.

So I think when it comes to people not coming in for smears or gynaecological examinations or not coming in with symptoms.

embarrassment is one of the things, right?

And you'll know this as a woman, you'll know it.

So if they've had any trauma, perhaps sexual trauma in particular, if they have cultural issues around that area as well and feel like, actually, no, I don't want to see anyone about it.