Cervical screening can save your life

Don’t ignore your cervical screening invitation, it could save your life! Here are the facts you need on screening and symptoms from Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, the UK's only charity dedicated to women, their family and friends affected by cervical cancer.

Two women a day in the UK die from cervical cancer whilst each year around 3,000 are newly diagnosed, facing an uncertain future. In addition around 300,000 women a year are told they may have a cervical abnormality that might require treatment.

Cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease thanks to early and consistent cervical screening, yet in 2016, when Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust (in partnership with Gransnet) undertook a survey on women aged over 50 as part of their 'Eradicate Cervical Cancer' campaign, the results revealed that women over 50 are rejecting cervical screening because they believe it is "unnecessary" and "irrelevant". Results of the survey include;

• "One in three (33%) reported delaying cervical screening.
• 32% do not think cervical screening is part of the healthy upkeep of a woman’s body.
• On average women over 50 delay their cervical screening for 26 months and 1 in 10 (10%) delay for over 5 years.
• 46% do not agree or do not know that human papillomavirus (HPV) is common.
• 21% do not agree or do not know that regular cervical screening reduces the risk of cervical cancer."

See the full survey results here.

Causes, risks and symptoms

Causes

• The majority (99.7%) of cervical cancers are caused by persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection which causes changes to the cervical cells.
• HPV is an extremely common virus; around four out of five people are exposed to the virus. Anyone who is sexually active can be infected with HPV at some time. The body’s immune system will usually clear it up.
• Generally, most people don’t even know they have contracted the virus at all.

Risks

Whilst HPV is commonly caught and is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer, other factors can play a risk in an individual's likelihood of getting it, such as;

• Smoking: the harmful contents within tobacco increase the risk by more than twice as much.
• Having a weakened immune system, due to certain drugs such as immunosuppressants, or as a result of a condition such as HIV or AIDS.
• Taking the oral contraceptive pill for more than five years increases the risk twofold, although it's not entirely clear why.
• Having children: the more children you have, the likelier the odds. For example, women with two children are twice as likely to develop the disease as a woman with no children.
  Although the reason behind this isn't clear, it's thought that hormonal changes occuring during pregnancy may make the cervix more susceptible to the effects of HPV. 

Symptoms

There are usually no symptoms with abnormal cells (in their pre-cancerous state) and sometimes also no symptoms with early stage cervical cancer. However, there are some recognised symptoms associated with the disease that, whilst not exclusively symptoms of cervical cancer, should warrant you getting checked out. These include;

• Abnormal bleeding: after or during sexual intercourse, or between periods.
• Post menopausal bleeding, if you are not on HRT or have stopped it for six weeks.
• Unusual and/or unpleasant vaginal discharge.
• Discomfort or pain during sex.
• Lower back pain.

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust (www.jostrust.org.uk) is the UK’s only charity dedicated to women, their families and friends affected by cervical abnormalities and cervical cancer, offering a range of support and information both online and face to face.

Other things you might like:

Cervical cancer over 50

Menopause weight gain

Images: Shutterstock