Do you think you are safe from cervical cancer because you are in a monogamous relationship, or because you've tested negative for HPV?
Think again!
Cervical cancer is cancer that originates in cells in a woman’s cervix. The cervix is the narrow, low end of the uterus that connects to the top of the vagina.
During your annual pelvic exam, your doctor may remove a small sample of cells from your cervix for a Pap smear, which is also called a Pap test. The sample is sent to a lab to check for cancerous cells or visible changes in cells that could be early signs that cancer will develop.
Most cases of cervical cancer are linked to the human papillomavirus which is transmitted through sex. So if you test positive for HPV, you may have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.
But the opposite is not necessarily true. Even if you test negative for HPV, you are not safe from the risk of cervical cancer. An HPV test can only show if you have active virus in your body at the time of the test. Even if your test is negative, you can still have dormant HPV in your body that can later lead to cervical cancer.
This also means that women who are monogamous cannot assume they are safe from cervical cancer. If your partner is ever unfaithful, or if you have dormant HPV at the time of your test, you could test positive for HPV at a later date and you are still at risk for cervical cancer.
“HPV never leaves your body,” Dr. Laura Corio, an obstetrician and associate professor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York told the New York Times.
Since 2012, the American Cancer Society has recommended that all women ages 21 to 65 should get a Pap smear every three years. For women ages 30 to 65 who want to be tested less often, the ACS recommends a combination of a Pap smear and a test for HPV every five years.
If you have additional risk factors, your doctor may recommend that you have a Pap smear as often as every year. According to the Mayo Clinic, these risk factors include:
• Cervical cancer or precancerous cells found in a Pap smear.
• HIV.
• A weakened immune system, possibly from chemotherapy, organ transplant or chronic corticosteroid use.
• Exposure to diethylstilbestrol, often called DES before birth.
The Pap test is considered to be one of the most successful screening tools for detecting cancer. But the test is not 100-percent accurate. The ACS offers these suggestions to help make sure your Pap smear is as accurate as possible:
• Don’t have your Pap smear during your period. If at all possible, schedule your exam for at least five days after your period should be over.
• Don’t put any products into your vagina for two to three days before your test. This includes tampons, birth control foam or jelly, vaginal creams, moisturizers, lubricants or vaginal medications.
• Don’t use douche for two to three days before the test.
• Don’t have sexual intercourse for two days before the test.
If you have questions about cervical cancer or about your Pap smear or HPV test results, talk to your health care provider.
Sources:
The New York Times. Ask Well: Do Monogamous Women Still Need a Pap Smear? Tara Parker-Pope. Web. January 6, 2016.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/09/ask-well-do-monogamous-women-st...
Mayo Clinic. Pap smear. Web. January 6, 2016.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/pap-smear/basics/definition/p...
American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer. Web. January 6, 2016.
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervicalcancer/moreinformation/cervicalcanc...
American Cancer Society. The Pap (Papanicolaou) test. Web. January 6, 2016.
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervicalcancer/moreinformation/cervicalcanc...
Reviewed January 7, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith