Tuesday 3 January 2017

Can Cervical Cancer be Prevented?!


I suppose almost everyone understand and know what cervical cancer is all about and how deadly it can be. it is very important to have knowledge of the danger of something in order to take precaution.
 For those who have no or little idea about this silent killer, It is a cancer that arrives from the cervix which is as a result of abnormal growth of sells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body.

You will not experience any symptoms in the early stages but later symptoms may include vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, etc. You can check signs and symptoms of Cervical cancer here https://ourbodyonline.blogspot.co.ke/2017/01/signs-and-symptoms-of-cervical-cancer.html?m=1


  CAN CERVICAL CANCER BE PREVENTED?
    Well, I'll say YES it can be prevented but a well-proven way to prevent it is to have test(screening) to find pre-cancers before they can turn into invasive cancer. The most common form of cervical cancer starts with pre-cancerous changes and there are ways to stop the disease from developing.


An infected cervix

The first way to do so like I said is to find and treat pre-cancers before they become real cancers and the second thing you need to do is to prevent pre-cancers.
What sort of test should I have in order to screen for pre-cancers before they become worse? Well, The Pap test and the Human Papilloma Virus(HPV) test are the test needed and this test must be done on a reglar basis.  Most invasive Cervical cancer are found in women who have not had regular Pap tests.
This Pap test is being carried out in order to collect cells from the cervix so that they can be observed under a microscope to find cancer and pre-cancer. 

Now I would like to highlight and explain the things you need to do to prevent pre-cancers and cancers.

1.  Make sure you avoid contact with Human Papilloma Virus(HPV). HPV is known to be a virus that enters your body usually through a cut, abrasion, or small tear in your skin. It is transfered primarily by skin-to-skin contact with an infected area of the body. Although it can be spread during sex including Vaginal, oral and anal sex, sex doesnt have to occur for the infection to spread. All that is needed is skin-to-skin contact with an infected area of the body. which means that the virus  can also be spread without sex.

It is possible for a genital infection to spread through hand-to-genital contact. Maybe you have heard about the word "Wart". Warts are small rough and hard growths that are similar to the color of the skin. They usually dont show symptoms except when they are on the bottom of the feet where where they may be painfull when trying to walk. People that use public showers and work with meat are at risk of getting infected with warts.



Genital warts in male and female

* HPV in Women :
- Having many sex partners.
- Having a partner who has had many sex partners.
- Having sex at an early age( like age 15,16,17).
- Having an uncirmcumcised male partner.
Take note of the fact that one can have HPV for years and still have no idea or symptoms. You can avoid this virus by waiting to have sex until you are older 

* HPV in men : 
- Having many sex partners.
- Not being circumcised

2. CONDOM : Ensuring that you always make use of condom during sex is another thing you need to do to prevent pre-cancers and cancers. Even though they provide protection againts HPV, they dont entirely prevent infection. I made a little research and discovered that a reason why condom cannot totally protect is because they dont cover every possible HPV-infected area of the body such as skin of the genital and anal area. yet, condoms provide some protection against HPV and they also help to protect against other sexually transmitted infections. the same applies to female condoms but female condums are not as effective as male condoms.

3. Avoid smoking: People that dont smoke are on the right track of reducing the risk of cervical pre-cancer or cancer.

4- Ensure that you get vaccinated: It is very important that you get vaccinated because this is a very essential way to reduce the risk of some HPV infections. these vaccines would not treat an infected person, they only work to prevent HPV infection. The HPV Vaccines should be given before a person become exposed to the virus. they help to prevent pre-cancers and cancer of the cervix. 
There are some HPV Vaccines that are medically approved and recommended to help to prevent other types of cancer and genital warts.  How does the vaccine work? Well, it requires a series of injections(shots) and side effects are usually mild. The most common side effects are swelling and short term redness. 
For folks(22 to 26years of age) who have not commenced vaccines, or who have have started but not completed the series.
It is vital to know that vaccination at older ages is less effective in lowering cancer risk. it is also vital to know that no vaccine provides absolute protection to  all types of HPV. therefore, regular cervical cancer screening should be in place.

There you have it folks! thats a little about how to prevent cervical cancer and I hope the post was helpful. You can subscribe for our newsletter below. I want you to know that this is an interactive platform where we share thoughts and views about things that concerns health. I would love to know your thoughts on Cervical cancer, If you have any information, experience, testimony, You can share it with us by leaving your comment bellow.











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