Preventing Cervical Cancer

Even with an annual Pap smear test and the new vaccination for young women, cervical cancer can’t be totally prevented. But there are some things you can do to reduce your risk of developing cancer of the cervix.

1. Get a Pap smear. An annual checkup with periodic Pap tests is one of the best ways to defend yourself against cervical cancer, since the test can detect the presence of pre-cancerous cells before they turn into cancer.

The Gynecologic Oncology Center recommends the following for Pap tests:

• First Test: Young women should have their first Pap test within three years of their first sexual encounter or their 21st birthday, whichever comes first.
• Annual Tests: Women between the ages of 21 and 29 should have an annual Pap smear.
• Biannual Tests: Women 30 to 69 should have a regular Pap test every two years or a liquid based test every three years, if they are considered "low risk". You'll need to discuss this with your doctor.
• Some groups advise that women who are 70 and older can usually stop having a Pap test if they’ve had three or more normal tests in a row and no abnormalities in the last 10 years. We still recommend pap smears every 3 years for low risk women older than 70 as this segment of the population represents the most rapidly growing group of cervical cancer patients in the U.S.

If you have an abnormal Pap smear, it’s important that you have a follow up exam to find out what is causing the abnormalities.

2. Commit yourself to abstinence. The best way to reduce your risk of cervical cancer is to abstain from having sex until you are in a committed relationship. This will not only decrease your exposure to virus such as HPV, but sexually transmitted diseases as well.

3. Limit the number of sexual partners. The more sexual partners you have, the greater risk you have of getting cervical cancer. The risks increase exponentially, particularly if your partner has had multiple partners as well. HPV, the virus that can lead to cervical cancer is transmitted through sexual contact.

4. Have protected sex. Use a condom to ensure that you are not placed at risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases that can increase the risk that you will develop cancer.

5. Don’t smoke and avoid secondhand smoke. Smoking can interact with the HPV infection to accelerate the development and spread of cervical cancer.

6. Get vaccinated. If you’re under the age of 27, you may be able to get the new HPV vaccine, Gardasil. This vaccine can prevent the most common high-risk strains of HPV in women. Since young men can also carry the HPV virus, the vaccine may be extended to them at some point to help prevent cross infection. As your doctor at the Gynecologic Oncology Center about this new vaccine.