We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Cervical Health Awareness Month is a chance to raise awareness about how women can protect themselves from HPV (human papillomavirus) and cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a type of cancer found on the cervix located at the entrance of the uterus among women. Moreover, HPV is a very common infection that spreads through sexual activity between males and females. It’s also a major cause of cervical cancer among women.
About 79 million Americans currently have HPV. Many people with HPV don’t know they are infected. The HPV causes cervical dysplasia, or abnormal growth of the cervical cells among women. The HPV vaccine (shot) can prevent HPV. The vaccine is available to pre-teen girls and boys up to the age of 26 years old. The HPV vaccine is given in 3 interval doses. Furthermore, HPV can cause genital warts. However, there are many types of HPV. The strains of HPV that cause warts are not the same as the cancer-causing strains. Genital warts are not a symptom of cervical cancer. They do not increase your risk of cervical cancer. However, it is possible to be infected with more than one strain of HPV. If you have genital warts, you may also have been infected with a cancer-causing strain. Practicing safe sex can reduce your risk of both types of HPV infection. But, condoms cannot entirely prevent HPV. The virus can spread from skin to skin. Being infected with a cancer-causing strain of HPV does not mean you will get cancer. Most women with HPV will never have problems caused by their infections.
The most common symptoms of cervical cancer are abnormal vaginal bleeding, bleeding after menopausal, and pain with sexual intercourse and pelvic pain.
Cervical cancer can often be prevented with regular screening tests called Pap tests that detect precancerous cells changes in the cervix and follow-up care. Recommendations for starting Pap test screening start at age 21 years old. The test should be repeated every 3 years thereafter. In older women, the HPV screening starts at age 30 years old and is recommended to screen every 3-5 years. Pap smears may be combined with a human papillomavirus (HPV) test. This is because most cervical cancers are caused by HPV. If a woman does not have HPV, she is unlikely to develop cervical cancer in the near future. However, HPV is very common in young women. Most infections heal on their own within two years. Therefore, health care providers do not generally test young women for HPV unless they have an abnormal Pap smear. Women over 30 years old with three consecutive negative-results Pap tests, only need testing every 3-5 years. If you are older than 65 and have had normal Pap test results for several years, or if you have had your cervix removed as part of a total hysterectomy for non-cancerous conditions, like fibroids, you do not need to have a Pap test anymore. However, if you have had abnormal Pap tests in the past, the screening test is usually annually, unless specified by your health care provider.
The Sweet Medical Center encourages women to get their well woman visit this year. We support women’s health and are announcing that Thursday, January 28th is a day dictated for well women exams, starting the HPV vaccines series and women health education.
