Cervical Health Awareness

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month and a prime time to highlight the importance of routine Pap tests. In the United States, 11,000 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in 2010 from human papillomavirus (HPV)-caused tumors.

The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus. Also known as the womb, the uterus is where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. The cervix connects the upper part of the uterus to the vagina (the birth canal).

Symptoms of Cervical Cancer
Early on, cervical cancer usually does not cause signs and symptoms. Advanced cervical cancer may cause bleeding or discharge from the vagina that is not normal for you, such as bleeding after sex. If you have any of these signs, talk to your doctor. They may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your doctor.

Risk Factors
Almost all cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex.

HPV is so common that most people get it at some time in their lives, but HPV usually causes no symptoms so you can’t tell that you have it. For most women, HPV will go away on its own however, if it does not, there is a chance that it may cause cervical cancer. In addition to HPV, other things can increase your risks. They include—

• Not having regular Pap tests.
• Having HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, or another condition that weakens your immune system (making it hard for your body to fight off health problems).
• Not using condoms during sex. (HPV infection can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. While the effect of condoms in preventing HPV is unknown, condom use has been associated with a lower rate of cervical cancer.)
• Not limiting your number of sexual partners.

Cervical Cancer Prevention
The most important thing you can do to avoid getting cervical cancer is to have regular screenings. There are two tests that can help prevent cervical cancer—the Pap test and the HPV test.

The Pap test (or Pap smear) looks for precancers, cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if they are not treated appropriately.

During the Pap test, the doctor collects cells and mucus from the cervix and the area around it and sends them to be tested. It is recommended that women should start getting regular Pap tests at age 21, or within three years of the first time they have sex—which ever happens first.

In order to prepare for your Pap test you should refrain from the following two days before your examination.

• Douching, which means rinsing the vagina with water or another fluid.
• Using a tampon.
• Having sex.
• Using a birth control foam, cream, or jelly or any medicine or cream in your vagina.
  

You should also schedule your Pap test for a time when you are not having your period.

If you are getting the HPV test in addition to the Pap test, the cells collected will be tested for HPV. Talk with your doctor, nurse, or other health care professional about whether the HPV test is right for you.

If you are 30 or older, and your screening tests are normal, your chance of getting cervical cancer in the next few years is very low. It is also important for you to continue getting a Pap test regularly—even if you think you are too old to have a child, or are not having sex anymore. If you are older than 65 and have had normal Pap test results for several years, or you have had your cervix removed (during an operations called a hysterectomy), your doctor may tell you it is okay to stop getting regular Pap tests.

Cervical cancer is the easiest female cancer to prevent with regular screenings, tests and follow-up.

Source: www.cdc.gov

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