A teenager was horrified to discover her missed periods were symptoms of ovarian cancer, 

Amy Allen, then 18, was suspected of having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age.

But as well as not having menstruated in six months, she was developing thick facial hair – which she eventually found out was due to having two-and-a-half times the normal level of the male hormone, testosterone, in her blood.

Amy was due to start her first year of a psychology degree at York St John's University, when, on her mother's advice went to her GP over her worrying symptoms – leading to her shocking diagnosis. She is very young to be diagnosed with the disease. In most cases, ovarian cancer affects women over the age of 50, or postmenopausal women.

Amy was diagnosed with a rare type called Sertoli-Leydig sex cord tumour –which produces unusual symptoms including a lower pitch of voice.

Now 21, Amy, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, battled through the illness and has graduated. She said: 'I was the first person in living memory in Yorkshire to be diagnosed with that type of ovarian tumour.

'I went to the hospital appointment alone and hearing the words, "It's cancer" was incredibly shocking.'

'The scariest day of my life'

Initially, Amy, the eldest of four children, was wrongly suspected of suffering from PCOS, as her symptoms were so similar.

The condition, resulting from elevated male hormones in women, causes many small and harmless follicles to grow on the ovaries and can cause irregular or no menstrual periods and excess body and facial hair.

Her GP first told her about her excessive testosterone levels during freshers' week at university. Amy said: 'The doctor from home rang me to ensure I was getting checked out, my blood test results had revealed that my testosterone levels were 2.5 times higher than they should be, and my oestrogen levels were significantly lower.'

Subsequent ultra-scan and MRI scans carried out at York Hospital in late 2014 indicated that Amy had a suspected cyst on her ovary.

Then, in March 2015, she had this biopsied, so it could be examined more closely.

'Seven weeks had passed and I'd had my first period in a year and I thought everything was dandy,' she added.

'My periods had started at about 14, but after a few years they gave me very severe lower back pain and I developed bad facial hair. Then they stopped not long after I turned 18.'

Contacted about a post-biopsy appointment, Amy went alone, believing everything was fine, only to be told she had cancer.

She said: 'The doctors and nurses were so nice. They explained everything and we had a laugh about the rarity and excitement of the type of tumour – the first one to be diagnosed in Yorkshire. If I hadn't laughed I would have cried.'

But she saved her tears until she could call her housemates, when she sobbed down the phone.

'Getting the diagnosis was the scariest day of my life and a memory that will stay with me for a while,' she admitted.

'At 19 years old and coming towards the end of my first year of university, cancer was not something I thought I'd personally have to go through.'