Cervical Health Awareness Month: What You May Not Know

Since January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, let’s be sure to understand some basics.

The cervix is at the lower end of the uterus (at the top of the vagina). The cervical canal passes through the cervix. The canal allows menstrual blood to pass through and a baby to pass from the uterus into the vagina (birth canal). It also allows sperm to enter the uterus from the vagina.

Conditions that affect the cervix include cervical cancer, inflammation, CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia), polyps, pregnancy or dysplasia.

Protecting Cervical Health

It is easy to take care of your cervix and prevent disease. If you are young and sexually active, a condom can protect against most sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia. Chlamydia is easy to treat, but can have long-lasting effects on fertility if it spreads. Untreated chlamydia can lead to infection in the fallopian tubes and cause scarring. This can lead to infertility and a higher risk of ectopic pregnancy.

Condoms also protect against human papilloma virus (HPV), a common disease that is transmitted during sexual intercourse. There are many different types of HPV. Some can cause cervical cancer if they are present for a long time without treatment. HPV is incurable, but several vaccines protect against it.

A gynecologist can do a PAP smear screening test to check for the presence of HPV and cancer of the cervix. If the test detects precancerous cells, treatment can help to prevent cervical cancer.

If your PAP smear is normal and you’re HPV-negative, you can feel confident that you will not develop cervical cancer. If both of these results are negative, you can space out your PAP smears but still see a gynecologist every year.

I encourage all women to get their well-woman visit this year. The health care reform law covers well-woman visits and cervical cancer screening. This means that, depending on your insurance, these services may even be available at no cost. Furthermore, all parents should understand how important it is for their pre-teens to get the HPV vaccine.

This post was written by Valerie Muoio, MD, ob/gyn and chief of ambulatory services at North Shore University Hospital.

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