The centre has been established by the Angels of Hope charity, founded in 2003 by Portadown woman Maureen Clarke.
Maureen set up the charity following the death of her only daughter, Julie, from the disease. Julie was just 27 when she was diagnosed in February 2002, and she passed away on October 1 that year.
Now, six years on, the Angels of Hope Support Centre, located at 17 Fitzwilliam Street and just five minutes walk from the new Cancer Centre at Belfast City Hospital, offers much-needed practical and psychological support to patients and their families.
Said Maureen, "The charity was growing and we needed to raise the profile of it and have a proper base. We believed there was a huge gap for this kind of service, and we are delighted to have come this far."
The centre opens every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (the three gynae days at the cancer centre) from 9.30-4, and is staffed by a team of around 30 volunteers, most of whom have been affected by ovarian cancer.
Over the past number of weeks, Maureen and her staff have held a series of open nights, aimed at different groups, including gynae nurses from Craigavon Area Hospital, who Maureen says have been a "great support".
Portadown woman Jackie McKeown has also volunteered her services as a professional counsellor after hearing Maureen speak at a meeting of Portadown Business and Professional Women's Club.
The centre provides a home from home environment for patients and their families. Treatment for cancer patients can last for up to eight hours, so it's a welcoming place where relatives can go to wait and meet people in a similar situation in comfortable surroundings.
Facilities include a kitchen, a family room with a TV, a quiet room, a boardroom and a holistic therapy room. Toys are also available and there are seating facilities in the reception area as well as tea and coffee which are available all day.
From January, the centre will offer a range of holistic therapies, for patients and their families, including massage, aromatherapy and reflexology, given by a therapist experienced in treating cancer patients. Said Maureen, "These types of treatment relax the patient and can also help with some effects of the menopause. Julie really benefited from it."
Cervical cancer patients have also been inquiring about the support centre, and Maureen says they are very welcome to use it, as are other patients with other gynae cancers. She said, "There is a gap as regards gynae cancer, which can make patients feel isolated. Women often have to come to terms with no longer being fertile and not being able to have children.
"There is also the problem of body changes, image and the menopause, as well as worries about other family members. If you have breast or ovarian cancer, then your relatives are also a high risk."
She added, "There were 115 ovarian cancer patients in Northern Ireland in 2002. That figure has now risen to 229."
Maureen, who is assisted closely by her son Paul, would like to thank everyone who helped get the centre up and running. Lloyds TSB will cover 75 per cent of the rent on the building for the first year and half for the second year, while Ulster Bank donated £5,000 for fixtures and fittings.
Maureen has also secured a deal with Dunnes Stores, whereby the store has agreed to put the charity's leaflets and pin badges in all its store throughout Ireland during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in March.
She has also been giving talks on a course for gynae nurses at Queen's University, explaining how nurses can make the journey easier for ovarian cancer patients and their families. Queen's are 'paying' Maureen for her time through a donation to the charity.
Meanwhile, Maureen stresses that members of the public can do their bit to support the charity at this time of year by buying its Christmas greeting cards and wrapping paper. They are available from the website shop on www.angelsofhope.org.uk