January is Cervical Cancer Screening Month!

This feature was created by Stephanie, Campus Organizer with Advocates for Youth

In the past few years, the human papillomavirus (HPV) has been a big topic of discussion among health care professionals, peer health educators, and the general public. HPV is the name of a group of viruses that include over 100 different types or strains, many of which are sexually transmitted, including genital warts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 20,000,000 people are infected with this STI and a whopping 6.2 million Americans get a new HPV infection each year. Most HPV infections cause no major problems and will clear themselves with no treatment. However, some strains of HPV can progress to cervical cancer if left untreated. In fact, almost all cervical cancer cases are caused by untreated HPV. What makes this disease so scary is that the number of those infected has risen and continues to do so.

Those are a lot of facts dealing with one virus, but it just goes to show how common HPV has become in our society and how important it is to be tested by your doctor. Remember, over 99 percent of cervical cancer is caused by HPV! January is Cervical Cancer Screening Month and presents a perfect excuse to get that Pap smear (the screening test for HPV) you’ve been avoiding. It’s also a great time to ask your health care provider about the new HPV vaccine. But remember, the vaccine doesn’t protect from all of the cancer-causing strains of HPV, so it is still very important to have your annual Pap smear.Cervical cancer treatments are far more successful when the cancer is detected early!

Personal experience has taught me that you can live a healthy lifestyle by eating right, exercising, and practicing safer sex methods like using a condom, but you never know what can happen. Hearing the words “irregular pap” and “mild to severe dysphasia” and “pre cancerous” from my gynecologist was a nerve-wracking experience and one I intend never to relive.

Take the month of January - - you still have a few weeks - - and schedule that appointment with your gynecologist for a Pap smear. And while you’re at it, tell your mom, grandmother, sister and friends to get tested. You may never know whose life you saved.