Cervical cancer cases are on the rise today, and it’s very important for all women to be made aware of the risks, treatments and methods of prevention. There’s much talk about cervical cancer, the HPV virus and the newly released HPV vaccine, so it’s even more important for women to be aware of the facts.

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus, and the cancer that occurs in the cervix is very dangerous. The difference between other cancers and cervical cancer is that all cases are caused by a series of common viruses called HPV. It’s possible to prevent contracting this virus, and protecting yourself from getting this deadly and painful type of cancer.

The term HPV stands for the human papillomavirus, and is actually used to describe 100 different strains of a common virus. Forty of these viruses infect the sexual organs, which are transmitted through sexual contact. Strangely, only the non-dangerous forms of the HPV virus have actual visible symptoms, such as genital warts. The result is that many men and women are spreading the virus without even knowing that they are infected.

Often, some strains of the HPV virus will develop into cervical cancer before you even realize that you’ve it. Treatment can help prevent this outcome, if it’s discovered in time. HPV is only spread through contact during sexual intercourse or other sexual contact. It isn’t spread through the air, by shaking hands, toilet seats or other common methods of transmission.

Through research and testing, there have recently been two vaccines introduced on the market which can prevent certain types of HPV infection. The obvious benefit of this vaccine is that if you receive it early enough, you can reduce your risk of actually getting cervical cancer. Many doctors recommend getting the vaccine many years before actually becoming sexually active, as they can sometimes take up to 5 years to be fully effective. There are even some advocates who are pushing towards making the vaccine mandatory to girls as young as 12 years of age and younger. While these vaccines offer great preventive measures, it’s important to realize that each vaccine offers protection against different strains of the HPV virus, with one of the vaccines covering more of the strains.

What are some other ways of protecting yourself from contracting the HPV virus? The most obvious, and most effective, is to simply abstain from sexual contact. Even though a condom can reduce the transmission of the virus, it doesn’t completely eliminate the possibility. Since HPV is actually spread through membrane contact, condoms can be even less effective in protecting against the spread of HPV than other STDs. Female condoms will be more effective as protection since they cover more area than the male condom. It still won’t be 100% effective, and you need to be sure to use it every single time you have sexual contact. Some of the other more common forms of birth control don’t offer any kind of prevention against HPV transmission, such as diaphragms, sponges and oral hormone pills.

One of the most effective ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer, is through the regular screening of pap smears. The new vaccine is not 100% effective against all forms of the HPV virus, which means that even if you’ve received the vaccine, you still have a chance of developing cervical cancer. A yearly pap smear will detect any pre-cancerous cells that are present in your cervix, and detecting these cells early enough can greatly increase your chances of successful treatment.

It’s vital for women to play an active role in the prevention of cervical cancer, through understanding how to prevent it and how to keep their own health as a top priority. Through research and ongoing studies, hopefully someday a cure for cervical cancer can be found, but until that time, it’s up to us to do what we can to prevent it.

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