What every woman must know

Ladies, 2009’s here and it seems the buzz of the New Year is just about to fizz off. But, amidst the lingering revelry, let’s not forget that January isn’t just the start another twelve months, it’s also ‘Cervical Health Awareness’ month. This special month was created to raise awareness about the prevention of cervical cancer, which according to the American Cancer Society, is currently the second-leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide.

One of the most important risk factors in developing cervical cancer is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which is a virus that is transmitted through sexual skin-to-skin contact. Disturbingly, HPV is widely touted as the most common sexually transmitted infection in adults worldwide. How common? Well, studies carried out in the US gave found that more than 80% of American women will have contracted at least one strain of HPV by age fifty.

Like other sexually transmitted viruses, HPV doesn’t discriminate, and infections may be common, but they can have dire consequences. Though most HPV infections do not cause cervical cancer, nearly all cervical cancers are related to HPV. This is because some strains of HPV can cause dangerous changes in the cells of the cervix that can lead to the development of cervical cancer.

As grim as it sounds, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most women infected with genital HPV will not have complications from the virus. However, worldwide, an estimated 470,000 new cases of cervical cancer will emerge, resulting in about 233,000 deaths per year. So how do you protect yourself from cervical cancer?

In 2006, the FDA approved the HPV vaccine, which is a highly effective means of preventing cervical cancer. It works by preventing four strains of HPV, of which two are known to cause cervical cancer. The other two strains are responsible for genital warts. The two HPV vaccines that are currently on the market are Gardasil and Cervarix. The vaccine, however, is no substitute for a pap smear, which works by screening the cervix, and finding changes before cancer develops. It is important to note, that in most cases, cervical cancer is preventable. This is if it is detected early, which is why women are advised to get regular pap tests.
This month, Venus will be covering more issues on cervical cancer, HPV, the vaccines and pap tests; so do look out for that. In Part 2 of ‘Cervical health awareness’, we’ll look at what we can do to keep the cervix healthy.

Sources: American Cancer Society and Medicalnewstoday.com

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CERVICAL HEALTH AWARENESS – PART 2

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