I saw GP 30 times for bloating that made me look pregnant – it was stage 4 cancer that key test flagged for 2 years

A MUM claims doctors repeatedly ‘fobbed off’ her pregnant-looking belly, only to discover it was stage four cancer that had shown in tests for two years. Cydnie Malone, 31, says she first started experiencing symptoms including pain under her rib, bloating and nausea in July 2023. Cydnie Malone, 31, claims doctors repeatedly ‘fobbed off’ her pregnant-looking belly as IBS Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media She discovered it was stage four ovarian cancer two years after symptoms started, by which point it was stage 4 Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media The 31-year-old says her bloating was so severe that she “looked pregnant” and her stomach would “move around” on its own and “gurgle and gargle” at her. Cydnie visited her doctor about her symptoms and had a blood test revealing that her CA-125 marker was more than triple the normal level. This could indicate ovarian cancer, but also conditions such as endometriosis. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! But Cydnie says her symptoms were repeatedly brushed off. Over the next two years the aesthetics practitioner claims she visited Epsom Hospital and St Helier Hospital between 20 and 30 times while her CA-125 levels sky-rocketed. Cydnie, from Banstead, Surrey, says she first started experiencing symptoms including pain under her rib, bloating and nausea in July 2023 Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Her bloating got to the point that she ‘looked pregnant’ Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media In April 2025, Cydnie visited a different hospital after her stomach “ballooned” on holiday. She says if she hadn’t, she “wouldn’t be here today”. The following day, Cydnie received the devastating diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer. Cydnie, from Banstead, Surrey, said: “They kept fobbing me off and fobbing me off and fobbing me off. Most read in Health “They did my CA-125 ovarian cancer marker and those levels are meant to be 30 and under. “Anything over 30 and above they panic about. Mine were 97, and they did nothing about it. “I was frustrated, I was angry, and I felt let down because it was right in front of them and I kept telling them something was wrong with me.” In May 2025 she underwent surgery to remove 15 tumours found around her ovaries and underwent a hysterectomy. “I was distraught that I had to have a hysterectomy – me and my partner wanted a child together,” says Cydnie, mum to 12-year-old Tallulah. A year later, Cydnie received the news she was in remission after undergoing six gruelling rounds of chemotherapy. The mum-of-one believes her cancer wouldn’t have spread if she had been diagnosed earlier – and is urging other women who experience any symptoms of ovarian cancer to visit their GP. Cydnie said: “The doctors said my bloating and pain was from IBS and polycystic ovaries.” She was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which causes symptoms such as bloating, wind and diarrhoea, and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), a hormone condition that affects one in eight women. “They kept telling me it was PCOS and IBS and that there was nothing wrong with me.” Cydnie says she visited the doctors with her symptoms up to 30 times as they continued to worsen to the point that she ‘looked pregnant’. Cydnie said: “I was at the doctors a good 20-30 times. Cydnie with her partner, Billy Harrison, 32, who took her to a different hospital after her bloating became severe on holiday Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media A scan showing the tumour that had caused so much distress for Cydnie for two years Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media A doctor told Cydnie there is “no baby, it’s fluid” Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Cydnie’s belly after having surgery to remove the tumour Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media “I kept going back for appointments, my CA-125 kept rising and rising and they kept doing nothing about it. In April 2026 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated its guidance, referring to research that shows CA-125 test are less accurate for detecting ovarian cancer in younger women, who have a naturally higher level. But Cydnie says her “CA-125 markers reached 497” against the ‘healthy’ level of 35. Cydnie adds: “I kept going back for appointments trying to figure out what it was. My belly was so hard and round, I literally looked like I was pregnant. “It would gurgle and gargle and it would wake me up in the night with all of the fluid moving around – it was the weirdest thing in the world. “It was so hard and so full I literally had a bump, it was mad. The bloating was painful, it was horrible. “I felt distraught because I knew something was wrong with me.” After returning from a trip to New York in April 2025, Cydnie visited a different hospital. Cydnie said: “My belly kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. “I went to New York on holiday with my friend, come back from holiday and my belly had ballooned up. “My partner [Billie Harrison, 32] took me to a different hospital and they said, ‘There’s no baby, you’re full of fluid’. “If I didn’t got to that hospital with a swollen belly then I wouldn’t be here today. “They admitted me and drained six-and-a-half litres of fluid out of me.” Cydnie received the devastating diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer. The disease is often diagnosed late but the NHS says anyone with persistent bloating should see their GP. Other symptoms include pain or tenderness in the pelvic area, an urgent need to pee, or peeing more often, and feeling full quickly after eating. Surgery successfully removed 96 per cent of Cydnie’s cancer followed by six rounds of chemotherapy that she finished in October 2025 Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media “I was distraught that I had to have a hysterectomy – me and my partner wanted a child together,” says Cydnie, mum to 12-year-old Tallulah Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Around 7,750 cases get diagnosed in the UK every year, and 3,900 people die from it. “It had spread to all of my other organs,” says Cydnie, who had an operation in May 2025, including a hysterectomy, which removes the reproductive organs. Cydnie says: “That [the hysterectomy] has just broken me as well, it feels like your womanhood is taken away from you. “You feel like your life has been taken out of your hands.” The surgery successfully removed 96 per cent of Cydnie’s cancer and this was followed by six rounds of chemotherapy that she finished in October 2025. In May 2026, Cydnie received the news that she is in remission, but she believes the cancer wouldn’t have spread if doctors had diagnosed her earlier. Cydnie said: “It felt surreal when I was told I was in remission. There’s obviously a possibility that it could come back in other areas. “But it could have been avoided and not spread if they’d just listened and opened their eyes to what is in front of them. “If I didn’t go to a different hospital and go with my gut instinct, I wouldn’t have made it. “I’m glad I’ve come out of the other side. “They call it the silent killer because there’s no symptoms of it really. “If you’ve got the bloating and pain, or if you know something is not right in your body, then you’ve got to push for it because it’s your life and it’s not a game. “Don’t be fobbed off if the medication they’re giving you is not working then it’s obviously something deep down. “Sending someone for a CA-125 blood test could save their life.” A spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are very sorry to hear about Ms Malone’s experience and recognise that her cancer diagnosis must have been an extremely difficult and distressing time for her. “We’re grateful that this has been brought to our attention so we can carry out an investigation – we will also reach out to Ms Malone so we can listen to her concerns in full.” What are the signs of ovarian cancer? Ovarian cancers affects the ovaries – the organs that store the eggs needed to make babies. It mostly affects women over the age of 50 and can sometimes run in families, according to the NHS. Symptoms of the cancer can be vague, particularly in its early stages, Cancer Research UK SAYS. The charity advises you speak to a GP if you have the following symptoms: Feeling full quickly Loss of appetite Pain in your abdomen or lower part of your abdomen that doesn’t go away Bloating or an increase in the size of your abdomen Needing to wee more often Tiredness that is unexplained Weight loss that is unexplained Changes in your bowel habit or symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, especially if this starts after the age of 50 The NHS added that bleeding from the vagina after the menopause could be another possible symptom of ovarian cancer. Comment now