It’s the beginning of a new year and January also happens to be Cervical Health Awareness Month.
This is a chance to raise awareness about how women can protect themselves from HPV (human papillomavirus) and cervical cancer.
HPV is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract, and it is spread through sexual activity, infecting most unvaccinated sexually active men and women at some point in their lifetime, usually without symptoms.
In most cases, people’s bodies overcome the HPV infection spontaneously, but in some people, the infection does not clear, and cervical cancer begins when HPV causes women’s normal cervical cells to develop pre-cancerous changes.
For women who have HPV and whose HPV infections do not clear, researchers estimate it can take 10 to 15 years for cancer to develop post-infection.
The Good news?
- The HPV vaccine (shots) can prevent up to 90 percent of cervical cancers.
- Cervical cancer can often be prevented with regular screening tests and follow-up care.
- “See-and-treat” involves visual inspection of the cervix with vinegar (acetic acid) to detect pre-cancerous lesions, followed soon or immediately afterward, when necessary, by ablative or electrosurgical (LEEP) treatment, as dictated by the woman’s needs. With early detection, pre-cancerous cells can be removed before they progress to cervical cancer.
- Cervical cancer screenings can help detect abnormal (changed) cells early, before they turn into cancer. Most deaths from cervical cancer could be prevented by regular screenings and follow-up care.
How can Cervical Health Awareness Month make a difference?
We can use this opportunity to spread the word about important steps women can take to stay healthy.
A few ideas to try:
Encourage every woman you know to get their well-woman visit this year. This should include a pap smear as this is one of the earliest ways to detect changes caused by HPV.
Talk to parents about how important it is for their pre-teens to get the HPV vaccine. Both boys and girls need the vaccine.
So make it part of your resolutions for this new year, In January and beyond, to tell the positive story of fighting cervical cancer and join the fight by getting your pap smear done.
