Every eight hours in Australia, one woman dies from ovarian cancer. It’s a shocking statistic and one that hasn’t changed all that much in recent decades. Why? There is still no screening method to catch ovarian cancer in its early stages.

“The sad truth about ovarian cancer is that there’s actually no effective screening methods,” explains Dr Yeh Chen Lee, medical oncologist and Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) ambassador. “Less than half the women will actually live beyond five years. It is a very sad truth.” 

If you’re reading this right now, you’re probably thinking about your pap test. While a pap test scans for cervical cancer, and a mammogram checks for breast cancer, there is still no way to check for ovarian cancer. The symptoms—fatigue, abdominal bloating, abdominal pain—closely mimic symptoms of an ordinary monthly cycle, so without a test, it’s often simply too late.

That’s why it’s referred to as a silent killer.

“A rare cancer deserves attention and a cancer that is so aggressive and is taking out women in their prime lives deserves attention,” says Dr Yeh. “Research takes time and effort, but it’s with research that we are going to be able to make incremental discoveries as well as important, big breakthroughs in therapeutic options to improve survival.”

That research costs money and that’s why Georg Jensen is supporting the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) again in 2021, to fund research for finding an early detection test for ovarian cancer.

Georg Jensen will release two Moebius Heart pendants today, where a portion of proceeds will be directly donated to the OCRF. 

Shop now: MOEBIUS, OCRF Heart Necklace 18kt. Yellow Gold

Shop now: MOEBIUS, OCRF Heart Necklace Sterling Silver

To support this campaign and raise awareness of ovarian cancer, Georg Jensen, together with Gritty Pretty Productions and the OCRF, hosted two roundtable discussions with faces of the 2021 campaign.

In Byron Bay, Australian model and actor Gemma Ward gathered with TV presenter Renee Bargh, presenter and meteorologist Magdalena Roze, and model and presenter Jëssica Vandër Lëahy, to discuss the topic of ovarian cancer. In Sydney, Gritty Pretty’s own editor-in-chief Eleanor Pendleton was joined by Today Show reporter Brooke Boney, medical oncologist Dr Yeh Chen Lee, and, lastly, ovarian cancer fighter associate professor Siobhan O’Sullivan, who bravely and openly shared her own story of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

“The biggest thing it’s done is that it means that I’m gonna die fairly soon,” explains O’Sullivan. “Up until a year ago, I thought that I would probably live another 40, 45 years and that’s not going to happen.”

She continues: “The thing I want to do now before I die is, I want to speak up about ovarian cancer. And I want to raise funds and I want to see research happen.”

We can all help with this. We can all speak up about ovarian cancer—discuss the topic and the symptoms with your family, friends and colleagues—and, if you’re in a position to, please consider purchasing a Georg Jensen Moebius Heart pendant.

You might just save a life.