Cervical cancer symptoms

Signs and Symptoms of Cervical Cancer

No one thinks they will ever contract cancer, and while this is the goal, it is still important to be aware of certain dangers out there, such as cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer results when abnormal cells on the cervix grow out of control. (In case you’re wondering, the cervix is the lower part symptoms of cervical cancer of the uterus/womb that leads to the vagina.)

Cervical cancer signs and symptoms

” Pain during sex

” Pelvic pain

” Vaginal discharge that’s tinged with blood

” Abnormal vaginal bleeding, for example:

o bleeding after sexual intercourse

o between regular menstrual periods

o longer and heavier than usual menstrual periods

o bleeding after going through menopause

If you think you’ve been showing signs and symptoms of cervical cancer, the best thing you can do is contact a well-respected doctor who can give you an exam (to better diagnose whether you do or do not have this kind of cancer).

The American Cancer Society recently came out with some recent statistics for 2012:

” About 12,170 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed

” Appr. 4,220 women will die from cervical cancer

Between 1955 and 1992, the death rate from cervical cancer lowered about 70 percent. This is because of how many women cervical cancer symptoms and signs took advantage of getting regular pap smears. Since 2003, the cancer rate has remained stable in most American women. (And the rate in African American women continues to go down!)

It is possible to contract cervical cancer after going through menopause. Symptoms of cervical cancer after menopause may be the same as symptoms for someone who is pre-menopausal. One red flag to look out for is if you experience vaginal bleeding after menopause-even spotting after menopause is uncommon, so if this happens, see your doctor immediately.

What causes cervical cancer? One of the main triggers is human papilloma virus (or, HPV). It is an illness that produces genital warts, which are not always visible. Other major causes of cervical cancer are:

” Engaging in sexual intercourse when very young

” Multiple sexual partners

” Smoking

” Being overweight

” Poor diet-eating very few fruits and vegetables

If you have the virus, you are very likely to spread it through sexual contact. Not having sex at all is the best way to keep from spreading it, but if you are not able to abstain from sex, practice safer sex by using condoms and limiting the number of sex partners you have.

Yes, there are ways to prevent cervical cancer:

” Not using oral contraceptives long-term. If you’re currently using them, discontinuing their use will decrease your risk.

” Using an IUD (intrauterine device). Discuss this with a doctor though, because there are other risks to using IUDs.

” Having three or less full-term pregnancies.

” Waiting until you’re at least 25 years old to get pregnant.

” Not smoking.

” Eating healthily, including lots of fruits and vegetables.

” Regular medical checkups.

” Most importantly, get regular pap smears.

You should be getting a pap smear every one to two years after turning 21. Pap smears are important because they allow doctors to examine your cervical cells, which not only reveals whether you have cervical cancer or not, but it can also detect any abnormal cells that might lead to cervical cancer.

It is important to note that early stages of cervical cancer don’t usually cause symptoms to appear, which is why regular health checkups are so important.

Again, when you are diligent to employ available prevention methods, good news could await you. Getting a pap smear is vitally important to early detection!!!

If you do have cervical cancer, there are numerous treatments you can undergo, such as chemotherapy, signs and symptoms of cervical cancer radiation therapy, and a hysterectomy, which means removing the uterus via surgery.

You use the Internet for so many things, so start small and use it as a starting point for learning more about the cervical cancer signs and symptoms. Again, this should be done in addition to consulting a medical professional. Some such online resources are as

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