Simply because you can save a life! Spending on treating cancer utilises not just money, but time and energy as well. It is dreadful and if there is a way to prevent it, everyone needs to know about it.
Cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women globally. The most significant causes are smoking and the HPV virus. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). Many people with HPV don't develop any symptoms but can still infect others through sexual contact. There's no cure for the virus but you can prevent it by getting vaccinated.
The HPV vaccine has proven to prevent most cases of cervical cancer. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and can be used for both girls and boys.
You might be wondering, “Why boys?”
The vaccine was originally approved for females aged 9 to 26. Now, men and women up to age 45 can get vaccinated. It protects against head and neck cancers as well as anal cancer in both men and women. It also protects against penile cancer in men; cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, and vulvar cancer in women. It has also been made a compulsion in many schools in India.
To know more:
5 Reasons Boys and Young Men Need the HPV Vaccine, Too
Can you still get cervical cancer after being vaccinated?
Yes, the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV viruses. HPV is a group of more than 200 related viruses, some of which are spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Hence, the vaccine cannot prevent all cases of cervical cancer, because of this, women need to continue getting their uterus screened at regular intervals.
How do you check for cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is detectable before it becomes fatal through a pap smear test. A procedure in which a small brush is used to gently remove cells from the surface of the cervix and the area around it, to be checked under a microscope for cervical cancer or cell changes that may lead to cervical cancer. It's affordable and if the pre-cancer stage is detected with the pap smear, it can be treated before it becomes cancerous.
How many tests should you take?
First, pap at 21. After your first pap is normal, you can go every three years. Then at 30 and if it is negative, you can go every five years before you get tested again. If you've never had an abnormal pap smear, you can stop getting them at 65. You no longer need a pap if you had a hysterectomy that wasn't for cervical cancer.
Talk to your gynecologist and try to get vaccinated before you are sexually active and get your pap smears. If every woman were screened, as recommended, the chances of getting cervical cancer would almost be zero.
Your cervix is amazing, it keeps sperms out until you need them in. It keeps babies in until you need them out. Take care of it.
