We live in a world where we have many diseases that women have to battle. The third most deadly one that women can face is cervical cancer. In 2012, more than 12,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. Most will be younger than 55. (NCI-The national Cancer Institution-website) This is so hard to detect and almost never caught early. It has risk factors like every other disease. There is ways for us to help prevent cervical cancer. Most women that are the ages of 25 and older do not realize the risks that they are at.
This is how it starts and there are hardly any signs that you have this cancer. It starts in the cervix, and spreads very rapidly. You start showing signs of having this type when you have sex and bleed after intercourse, between periods, and after menopause. You may have foul oder. Although these signs can lead to something else, you must get it checked out immediately. However, there are two types that you may have. The first is squamous, which is the most common. The second is columnar, this one starts slowly.
You can detect it early by regular check-ups. It starts slowly and this is called dysplasia. This is a pre-cancer before it becomes malignant and starts to spread rapidly throughout your body, without the proper treatment. Most female cancer in the cervix or uterine is called by sexually transmitted disease left unattended. The most common is HPV (human papilloma virus). There are many risk factors that can cause cervical cancer. The most common risk factors are always smoking, drinking, and poor eating habits.
Some women put themselves at risk of not having children, or in some cases may have more than enough children. This is concern because of the ovaries not reproducing, or being on birth control. Another risk factor is sexually transmitted diseases. Some people think there is nothing wrong to having multiple sex partners, and nothing will ever harm them. Most women are not aware of if the guy they are sleeping with is carrying anything. Then when they get anything some are embarrassed to get it treated and that can cause more harm to one’s body. It is always a good thing to protect you.
Also make sure your immune system is not weakened for a long period of time. This can also help create the spread of cervical cancer. It can be treated if caught earlier than stage 4 like any other cancer. This would mean surgery, and even chemo treatments. You have different stages in cancer. Stage one is considered pre cancer, and it is able to be removed with nothing else having to be done. Stage 2 is cancer, and you would need some treatments, and surgery. Stage 3 is getting to the last, and needs extensive treatments before surgery can be talked about.
It is up to the doctor in how you are treated. There is serious of test that you will undergo to determine what stage you are, if you have cervical cancer. This test will include biopsy, blood work, CAT scan, ultrasounds, and MRI. When you are faced with going to the doctor for that yearly checkup, do not think of it as a chore (like most women) think of it as a need. This is to ensure you that everything is working right. They do this to make sure there is no abnormal growth detected and it prevents cervical cancer.
If the test comes back abnormal then your doctor will talk to you about the next steps. Making it a point to go every year lessons your chance in getting cervical cancer. Also eating right and staying healthy will help. We think exercise is a chore as well, and we all need to incorporate that in our busy lifestyle. Another good way is to not have multiple partners. Having multiple partners may seem fun, but can lead to disaster. In reality there is no way to prevent cancer from coming into your body. Most people are born with it inside them.
It is just up to us and our immune system to fight it off or let it grow. We take precautions and take care of our body then we are less likely to obtain cervical cancer. If we maintain a healthy lifestyle, and a healthy environment then we have a chance in fighting it off. With the knowledge, women should be aware of what is going on in their body and what to look for.
References. 1. (Encyclopedia, November 17, 2012) http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001895/ 2. (National cancer site. ) http://www. cancer. gov/cancertopics/types/cervical.