January is Cervical Health Awareness Month
January 3, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
I remember working with a writer once, editing her work, as she writing about neck pain caused by disc problems. The uppermost part of the back and the neck are part of the cervical spine. Near the end of the article, she had written something about how the problem could ultimately cause cervical cancer.
When I contacted her to tell her that the cervix and the cervical spine were totally unrelated, she became quite huffy and told me that she was well aware of the difference. The story still gives me a chuckle years later.
Anyway, it’s Cervical Health Awareness Month and it has nothing to do with your spine! The United States Congress designated January as Cervical Health Awareness Month and the National Cervical Cancer Coalition wants to make teen girls and women more aware of the health of their cervix and cervical cancer prevention.
The cervix is found at the top of the vagina and is the lower part of the uterus. There is an opening in the middle of the cervix and this is through where menstrual blood flows, semen enters, and babies are born.
The most important issue in cervical health is the Pap smear or Pap test. A Pap test is a screening test that checks for abnormal cells on the cervix. A Pap test can usually detect changes in a cell before it becomes cancerous. Because of this, cervical cancer is extremely treatable. However, you must HAVE the test for it to find the cells.
It’s recommended that women have their first Pap test when they become sexually active, if they’re under 18, or at 18 if they’ve not yet had sex. The nurse practitioner or doctor will then instruct each woman as to how often they should return for screening.
A Pap test is not a preventative thing – it can’t prevent you from getting infections or diseases, it can only detect if some things have already changed in the cervical cells.
Stay tuned to learn more about cervical health and cervical cancer.
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Tags: cancer blog, cervical health, cervix, cancer of the cervix, cervical cancer, pap tests, pap smears
women have to make regular visits to the doctor for pap tests..early detection is essential
Cervical cancer needs to be addressed like breast cancer, i.e. get better press. I have a friend with this. My father died from colon cancer.
Take care.