Don’t feel uncomfortable, get tested!
Cancer is one of those topics that make people uncomfortable, including myself. Most of us know a cancer survivor, or sadly someone who did not survive this horrible disease. When I first heard of cervical cancer, it made me even more uncomfortable as a woman. Cervical cancer affects the cervix. This is the area at the neck of the uterus (womb) that fits into the upper part of the vagina, and acts as a muscular band keeping the developing baby inside the womb. This means that being treated for cervical cancer can affect your chances of having a child – something many of us want or dream about.
Cancer is the result of the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells. Most of the cells in our body have a set lifespan and when they die, new cells are produced to replace them. Abnormal cells can have two problems: (1) they do not die (2) they continue dividing. This results in an excessive accumulation of cells, which eventually forms a lump or tumour.
Cervical cancer starts with abnormal cells appearing on the surface of the cervix. Usually these abnormal cells return to normal without treatment, but they can become cancerous in a few cases. Scientists are still not completely sure why cells become cancerous. However, there are some risk factors, which are known to increase the risk of developing cervical cancer. Thus by decreasing those risk factors, you are decreasing your chances of developing cervical cancer.
Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by persistent infection with a sexually transmitted virus called human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is a very common infection. About half of all sexually active women will catch genital HPV at some time in their life. Most women who are infected with the virus do not develop cervical cancer, but unfortunately a few of them do.
Other risks include smoking, persons with a weakened immune system such as those with HIV/AIDS, giving birth at a young age, using the contraceptive pill long-term, having other STDs, such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea or syphilis.
This basically means that the best prevention of cervical cancer is having safer sex practices, which will reduce your chances of becoming infected with HPV. Using condoms will give you some protection against the main risk factors for cervical cancer: HPV, chlamydia, gonorrhoea or syphilis.
There is a bit of good news in this alarming story: Survival rates are good if cervical cancer is caught early! This is why it is of utmost importance that women like myself have regular cervical smear tests. Often, during the early stages of cervical cancer, people may experience no symptoms at all. So even if you do not have any symptoms, doctors in the U.S. recommend that a female should start screening at the age of 21, or within three years of her first sexual encounter – whichever occurs first. At the same time, you should also test for HPV.
Some of the most common symptoms are bleeding between periods, bleeding after sexual intercourse, bleeding in post-menopausal women, discomfort during sexual intercourse, smelly vaginal discharge, vaginal discharge tinged with blood and pelvic pain. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should go see your doctor.
Cervical cancer treatment options include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or combinations. Deciding on the kind of treatment depends on several factors, such as the stage of the cancer, as well as the patient's age and general state of health. Treatment for early stage cervical cancer, cancer that is confined to the cervix, has a good success rate. So be smart; use protection and get tested on a regular basis to make sure you and your cervix stay healthy!
