A young woman from Bristol has revealed how her symptoms of a rare cancer were repeatedly dismissed by her general practitioner as a simple case of thrush. Laura Liddle, aged 31, first began experiencing the warning signs of vulval cancer in March 2022 while she was recovering from surgery to treat an abscess in her groin area.
Initial Symptoms Ignored
She noticed a swelling in her left labia, which is the fleshy outer part of the vulva, that simply did not look right to her. As the swelling was not painful at first, Ms Liddle initially brushed it off as just part of her normal anatomy. However, by January 2025, the situation had deteriorated dramatically. She was experiencing such extreme pain in her genital region that she found herself unable to walk around or even sleep properly.
Ms Liddle described the agony, stating: "At the beginning of last year I was getting increasingly even more sore, to the point where I couldn't wear underwear, I couldn't walk and I couldn't sleep, I was in absolute agony." She added that the sensation felt as if she had "been stung with stinging nettles" between her legs.
Repeated GP Visits and Misdiagnosis
Over the following three months, Ms Liddle made multiple desperate visits to her GP. Her doctor tested her for thrush and sexually transmitted infections, but all results came back clear. Ms Liddle explained: "I've suffered with thrush my whole life and the doctors kept putting it down to that. Everything they tested me for – thrush, STIs, you name it – all results said I had a clean bill of health."
She continued: "It was unbearable pain and I couldn't get rid of it. They gave me local anaesthetic gel to numb it, but even that wasn't helping at all."
Shocking Diagnosis Revealed
After being referred to a hospital gynaecology department in April 2025, a biopsy finally revealed the truth. Ms Liddle was diagnosed with stage three vulval intraepithelial neoplasia, commonly known as VIN. This condition occurs when abnormal cells develop in the top layer of skin covering the vulva. While VIN can potentially turn into vulvar cancer over many years, not everyone who has it will develop the disease.
Vulvar cancer is relatively uncommon in the United Kingdom, with only around 1,500 cases diagnosed each year. Approximately eighty percent of those cases occur in women aged over 60, while VIN tends to be seen in those aged between 30 and 50.
Risk Factors and Protection
The HPV vaccine is among the greatest protections available against this disease, as many forms of vulvar cancer are triggered by the human papillomavirus. HPV is the same virus that also triggers cervical cancer, along with cancers of the anus and penis. Another condition linked to vulvar cancer is lichen sclerosus, an inflammatory condition that causes severe itching, discomfort, and white patches to form on the vulva.
The skin might appear very smooth, almost shiny, and may even bleed when touched. It can also cause the entrance to the vagina to narrow due to chronic inflammation triggering the formation of scar tissue. Aside from the significant impact on quality of life, approximately one in twenty cases of lichen sclerosus develops into vulval cancer.
Cancer Development and Treatment
When Ms Liddle, who works in the hospitality industry, underwent surgery to have part of her labia removed in July 2025, she received devastating news. The VIN had developed into full vulval cancer. She then underwent another surgical procedure in December 2025 to remove the lymph nodes in her groin. Fortunately, she was declared cancer-free on Christmas Eve of that year.
Doctors informed Ms Liddle that the condition will likely affect her sex life significantly, potentially making intercourse more painful. Due to loss of sensation, it could also be harder for her to climax.
Emotional Impact and Recovery
Ms Liddle reflected on the diagnosis: "When they told me I had vulval cancer, I was more concerned about how it would affect my family. It's a very rare cancer and it normally shows up in women over 70. I'm only 31, they're saying it's probably down to my immune system and that HPV could be a factor."
She added: "I do think about it and it does get me down. I'm only 31, I shouldn't be having this happen to me. I like to work, I like to be busy and the fact I can't do anything is driving me insane."
Now healing at home after being declared cancer-free, Ms Liddle is adapting to her new normal. She explained: "Going to the toilet is very painful, it burns, and they've said it will affect my sex life. Where they've removed skin it can make it a lot narrower so it can make it a lot more painful when you have sex. I could have a loss of sensation and it could be harder for me to climax, but I have no intention of having sex any time soon."
Raising Awareness and Advocacy
Ms Liddle has bravely shared her story to encourage women to regularly check themselves and get anything unusual examined by a medical professional. She emphasised: "A lot of young girls don't touch their vaginas, they don't look at their vaginas, it's a taboo thing to do. You have to know what it feels like, you have to know what is down there for you to know if something's not right."
She continued with crucial advice: "If you don't touch yourself and know what your normal is, how are you going to know what your abnormal is? You could probably save your life. I think vulvar cancer symptoms really need to be talked about and be advertised everywhere."
Calls for Improved Screening
Ms Liddle believes that vulval cancer should be checked for during routine smear tests. She stated: "I think they should be testing you for that when you go for your smear, just checking it looks ok and if it doesn't, getting a biopsy from the area. It's not nice having a needle in your vagina, it really hurts, but it's two minutes of pain for something that's going to save your life."
Her experience highlights the importance of persistent advocacy for one's health, especially when symptoms are dismissed or misdiagnosed by medical professionals. Ms Liddle's story serves as a powerful reminder to women everywhere to be vigilant about their bodies and to seek second opinions when something does not feel right.
