What women should know about cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus or HPV. You can get HPV by having sexual contact with someone who has it. Dr Ebele Mgbor of Medicaid Radio-Diagnostics Centre, Abuja disclosed this. “There is high risk with women who have had their sexual contacts very early, women who start bearing children very […]

Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus or HPV. You can get HPV by having sexual contact with someone who has it. Dr Ebele Mgbor of Medicaid Radio-Diagnostics Centre, Abuja disclosed this. “There is high risk with women who have had their sexual contacts very early, women who start bearing children very early and then women who have multiple sexual partners.”

Medical experts say you can have Human Papillomavirus for years and not know it. It stays in the body and can lead to cervical cancer years after you were infected. This is why it is important for you to have regular pap tests. A pap smear can find changes in cervical cells before they turn into cancer. If you treat these changes, you may prevent cervical cancer.

The Pap test is a quick and simple procedure. The test does not usually cause any pain. The cells are then examined for their appearance in a laboratory.

What are the symptoms?

The danger about cervical cancer symptoms is that most times, the disease must have become advanced before symptoms start manifesting. Experts say abnormal cervical cell changes rarely cause symptoms. It only follows when those cell changes grow into cervical cancer. Symptoms may include:

• Bleeding from the vagina that is not normal or a change in your menstrual cycle that you can’t explain.

• Bleeding when something comes in contact with your cervix, such as during sex or when you put in a diaphragm.

Pain during sex.

• Vaginal discharge that is tinged with blood.

Women can minimize their risk of developing cervical cancer by reducing their risk of contacting HPV infection. The virus is most commonly transmitted via sexual contact and intercourse. Refraining from genital contact with an infected person or using a condom will reduce the risk of HPV infection. It is important to note that condoms are not 100% effective because they only protect the covered area. Other forms of contraceptives and barriers such as birth control pills, diaphragms, and intrauterine devices (IUDs) do not protect the woman against HPV infection.

Another effective way to prevent cervical cancer is through vaccination. The world’s first vaccination against HPV was approved in Canada and the United States in 2006.

Dr Ebele Mgbor says “if we give the vaccine, it prevents the infection and most of them do not proceed to cervical cancer. The vaccines are available in Nigeria. People can go and take the vaccine but that will be after the Pap smear test, if there is need.”

Therefore, regular Pap smear screening allows for early detection of precancerous cells and for initiation of treatment before these cells become cancerous.