Tips for Preventing Cervical Cancer

The good news is that cancer deaths in the U.S. decreased for the first time in 2003. The bad news is that the devastating disease still took the lives of nearly 557,000 people that year. Cancer remains a grave disease in which cells in a body increase uncontrollably, producing irregular growths. Experts predict that in 2007, over 11,100 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, one form of the deadly disease. Fortunately, women can take certain steps to prevent cervical cancer:

1. Obtain the vaccine for HPV. If you are below 27-years-old, you could be qualified to get the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. HPV is a viral infection that is transmitted via skin, during sexual contact. In fact, HPV exists as a group of more than 100 types of viruses. Thirty or more strains have been proven to cause various varieties of cancer. Currently, no cure for HPV exists. Fortunately, the HPV vaccine prevents high risk HPV strains in women. In fact, the FDA has approved Gardasil, an HPV vaccine, for young girls as young as nine-years-old. The vaccine is most successful when young women get it prior to becoming active sexually.

2.Use a condom if you are sexually active. Engaging in unprotected sex places you at risk of obtaining Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other STDs. This could augment the likelihood that cervical cancer will develop in your body.

3.Regularly have a Pap smear done. The Pap smear can be the best defense against cervical cancer. This test can detect alterations in the cervix early enough, before they transform into cancer. Women ought to have a Pap test conducted at least one time every three years. This should be by the age of 21 or sooner; and approximately three years after they begin to have sexual intercourse.

4. Investigate unusual Pap smears. If your Pap smear is abnormal, then follow it up with route Pap smears or colposcopies-depending on the decision that your doctor has made. A colposcopy is a medical procedure that is conducted to examine the cervix in more detail. Also, if you have undergone treatment for cervical dysplasia, Pap smears or colposcopies follow ups are still required. If dysplasia is not detected when it reoccurs, it can result in cervical cancer.

5. Stop smoking or elude secondhand smoke. Smoking cigarettes augments the threat of obtaining several types of cancers, which includes cervical cancer. In fact, a combination of smoking and HPV infection can hasten cervical dysplasia. The bottom line is that it is wise to stop smoking.

6. Minimize the number of sexual partners you have. Research has indicated that women who have numerous sexual partners augment their change of acquiring cervical cancer. Furthermore, they are increasing their risk of developing HPV, a cause for cervical cancer that research has verified.