It’s national Cervical Health Awareness Month – and it matters probably more than you think
If I were to guess, there’s probably a good chance that most of you had some form of health goals on your New Year’s resolution list. Unfortunately, it’s also likely that cervical health didn’t jump to the top of your mind when making those goals. The month of January is recognized as national Cervical Health Awareness Month, and is an opportunity to raise awareness about human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer and how women can better protect themselves from it.
Once upon a time, cervical cancer used to be one of the most common cancer deaths for American women. However, in recent years, due to regular screening tests, the cervical cancer death rate has gone down by more than 50 percent. While that statistic shows progress, there are still some gaps to be addressed. For example, although 95 percent of cervical cancer can be prevented by a modern vaccine, only 35 percent of American girls and women are vaccinated each year.
I recently explored this topic in an article published on Forbes.com, in which my co-author and I address how and why the U.S. is falling behind in it’s efforts to prevent cervical cancer. One of the main reasons is a lack of information and commonly propagated myths. I figure that national Cervical Health Awareness Month is as good of a time as any to set the record straight about HPV and cervical cancer.
Getting the facts straight about HPV and cancer
HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection that causes 99 percent of cervical cancer in the U.S. About 60 to 80 percent of women will get HPV in their lifetime, and many Americans who have it don’t know that they are infected.
A common myth about HPV is that only sexually promiscuous people get it, when in truth over 80 percent of the adult population is HPV positive.
All it takes is one partner with one strain of aggressive HPV and genital-to-genital contact for the virus to be spread. This misconception leads to a lack of social acceptance of the HPV vaccine. There are also misunderstandings about who should be vaccinated and at what age. The HPV vaccine is recommended for both girls and boys starting at age 9 and is best given long before their first sexual encounter. The average age of sexual debut in the U.S. is 15. Parents of pre-teens (both boys and girls) should understand the importance of getting the HPV vaccines in order to prevent cancer.
Get vaccinated and get screened for cervical cancer
Even with vaccines, cervical cancer screening tests are necessary to prevent or find cervical cancer early. Screening tests can help find changes in the cervix before cancer develops and also detect a cancer in its earliest and most curable stage. The American Cancer Society guidelines recommend that all women begin cervical cancer screening at age 21. There are a few options for screening depending on age and medical history, including:
- Women aged 21 to 29 should have a Pap smear every three years and HPV testing should not be used for screening in this age group.
- Beginning at age 30, the preferred way to screen is with a Pap test combined with an HPV test every three years. This is called co-testing and should continue until age 65.
- Another reasonable option for women 30 to 65 is to get tested every three years, just with a Pap smear.
- Women over 65 years of age who have had regular screening in the previous 10 years should stop cervical cancer screening as long as they haven’t had any serious pre-cancers found in the last 20 years.
In addition, recent health reform laws and guidelines such as the Affordable Care Act and the Center for Disease Control’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, provides options for low-income, uninsured and underinsured women to have access to breast and cervical cancer screenings.
Although cervical cancer and HPV are scary, they are highly preventable with regular screening and vaccines. It’s a new year, so make sure that you are making your health a priority and recognizing the opportunity to spread the word about cervical health during national Cervical Health Awareness Month.