Reasons offered by GPs, in free text, for late presentation of potential gynaecological cancer symptoms listed in rank order (n = 621)
| Barrier | % sample (n) |
|---|---|
| Gynaecological cancer awareness | 43.0 (267) |
| Embarrassment | 32.0 (199) |
| How cancer symptoms present | 20.0 (124) |
| Fear/anxiety/stigma of cancer | 18.7 (116) |
| Reluctance to engage with health professional/health not prioritised | 12.7 (79) |
| Access to health care | 11.4 (71) |
| Socioeconomic factors (for example, education/culture) | 5.2 (32) |
| Reluctance to have an examination | 4.7 (29) |
| Denial | 3.7 (23) |
| False reassurance from a clear smear result | 1.9 (12) |
| Perceive self to be low risk | 1.1 (7) |
| Wait and see approach to symptoms | 0.8 (5) |
| Fatalism | 0.5 (3) |
| Acceptance of pain | 0.3 (2) |
| Participants who did not offer an answer | 9.8 (61) |
Many participants cited more than one barrier so percentages do not add up to 100.