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Cervical Cancer Awareness Month – How We Can All Contribute

One woman dies every 8 minutes due to cervical cancer. It is the second most common cancer in India in women accounting for 22.86% of all cancer cases in women and 12% of all cancer cases in both men and women. Cervical cancer is the third largest cause of cancer mortality in India accounting for nearly 10% of all cancer related deaths in the country. There are 67500 cervical cancer deaths reported every year. I wish we were making these statistics up but they are true. The worst news is that most of these deaths could have been easily prevented if there was more awareness among the people. Cervical Cancer Death Rates in America have dropped almost 50% since last year because of the massive campaign to raise awareness about cervical cancer and how it can be prevented and the treatment that can be availed. Why can’t we do the same here?

What is Cervical Cancer?

A cancer is any cell in your body that start growing rapidly without control. Depending on where the cancer cells originate the cancer is named. Cervical cancer is the cancer that happens when the cells in the cervix (the lower part of the uterus) start duplicating without control.

Cervical Cancer does not start immediately. There is a pre-cancer stage known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), and dysplasia. If there is regular check-up then these states can be found out and the cancer can be prevented or detected early.

How To Prevent Cervical Cancer?

The good news is that cervical cancers can be prevented. As I mentioned earlier before the cells develop into full blown cancer they first shows signs of pre-cancer. The Pap test or the HPV test can be used to detect and prevent pre-cancer cells from turning into full cancer cells. A large number of cases of cervical cancer that are found are of women who have not had a Pap test screenings. The Pap test is a procedure used to collect cells from the cervix so that they can be looked at under a microscope to find cancer and pre-cancer. A Pap test can be done during a pelvic exam, but not all pelvic exams include a Pap test.

You can also try and prevent these cancer cells by using condoms during sexual intercourse. Although not a guarantee to avoid cervical cancer it is known to reduce the chances. This is because it can restrict the movement of the Human Pappilloma Virus. Although this virus can be transmitted non-sexually with skin contact to the affected regions it is best to use protection during sexual intercourse anyway.

You should also do regular pap tests and HPV test. Next time you have a gynecology exam, please ask your gynaecologist to include a pap test during the pelvic exam. You can do so when you schedule a visit to the gynaecologist. Shrikhande IVF and Surrogacy Center is one of the most trusted names in Gynecology and Infertility in Nagpur, India.

How Can I Help Combat Cervical Cancer?

The best thing for you to do to combat cervical cancer is to ensure that you take care of yourself first and then your family. Ensure that your family members are made aware of the pap tests and that they are very easy to do and affordable as well. You can also help by sharing this blog post to as many people as you can so that they in turn can raise awareness to other people. Keep sharing these messages and posts so that the people who read them are more aware about what can be done to prevent cervical cancer. We can all contribute to the fight against cervical cancer. Be a part of the movement. We should hope to eradicate all cervical cancer cases by the year 2020.

Tags: Awareness For Cervical Cancer In India, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Raise Awareness For Cervical Cancer In India