To Your Sexual Health- Cervical Cancer

After receiving a comment from Shonari on my last post "To Your sexual health" i decided this week's post would be about Cervical Cancer.

Cervical Cancer or Cancer of the cervix is caused by viruses called Human papillomaviruses (HPV) and are spread through sexual contact. This type of cancer takes a while before any symptoms show. Usually we are able to fight the HPV but sometimes the virus leads to cancer. The good news is that Cervical Cancer is almost 100% curable, assuming it it caught early.

The least you need to know:
What is the Cervic
The cervix is part of the female reproductive system. It is the lower narrow part of the uterus. The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina.

What is Cancer
Normally the body produces tissues that grow and divide and form new cells when the body needs them and ultimately old cells die. Sometimes however, things do not go according to plan; new tissues are formed when we don't need them and or the old cells do not die. As a result, we have extra cells that we don't need and they form a mass and that mass we call a tumor. Tumor can then get cancerous.
Risk Factors:
1. Having HPV. It is the highest risk factor.
2. Not doing PAP Smears. PAP smears help doctors to find abnormal cells if they are present.
3. Age- The older you get the higher the risks
4. Woman having many sexual partners or who has is having sex with a man who has had many sexual partners.
5. Smoking cigarettes. chemicals from cigarettes may damage and weaken cervical cells making it hard to fight off infections.
6. Using Birth control pills for five years or more.
7. Early sexual activity. The cervical cells in younger women are more fragile and more easily damaged by frequent sexual intercourse.

What you can do:
1. Have regular pap smears. If you are over 21 or sexually active, go and schedule a PAP test, if you have never had one. This is the most important step. Your doctor will be able to advise you after this.