Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Cervical cancer develops in a woman’s cervix (the entrance to the womb from the vagina). It mainly affects sexually active women aged between 30 and 45.

Symptoms of cervical cancer              

• Cancer of the cervix often has no symptoms in its early stages. If you do have symptoms, the most common is abnormal vaginal bleeding, which can occur during or after sex, in between periods, or new bleeding after you have been through the menopause.

Abnormal bleeding doesn’t mean you have cervical cancer, but you should see your GP as soon as possible to get it checked out. The best way to protect yourself from cervical cancer is by attending cervical screening (previously known as a “smear test”).

What causes cervical cancer?

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV. HPV is a very common virus that can be passed on through any type of sexual contact with a man or a woman. There are more than 100 types (strains) of HPV, many of which are harmless. However, some types can cause abnormal changes to the cells of the cervix, which can eventually lead to cervical cancer.

Check out this link (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-cancer/) to read more about the symptoms of cervical cancer, screening for cervical cancer, causes of cervical cancer etc