Cervical cancer: signs, risk factors, and treatment

¶ … cervical cancer and how sufferers deal with them. Cervical cancer is a difficult disease to deal with because often there are no symptoms until it is advanced, requiring surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy.

What are the signs of cervical cancer?

Often, there are no outward signs, other than vaginal bleeding (which can be mistaken for menstruation), pain during intercourse, or discharge. The vaginal bleeding can also occur after a medical exam, after intercourse, or even after douching. Bleeding can be mistaken for a heavier period, too. That is why it is so important to get a pap smear every year, because the test can identify the cancer in the early stages, when it is still treatable. Often, it is not discovered until it is very advanced, and that makes treatment and cure extremely difficult.

Who can get cervical cancer?

Just about any woman can get cervical cancer. The only women who are at a lesser risk are women who have had hysterectomies, or women who have been vaccinated for both the strains of the disease. In the United States, the vaccine most commonly used, the HPV vaccine, is about 70% effective against both strains of the disease. Even if a woman has been vaccinated, she should still seek yearly pap smears, because the vaccine is not effective against some strains of the disease.

Are there some risk factors that can help cause cervical cancer?

There are several risk factors that doctors believe can help lead to cervical cancer. They include a family history of the disease, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, HIV infection, chlamydia infection, smoking, birth-control pills, and multiple pregnancies are all thought to influence who gets the disease and who does not.

Is there any way to prevent cervical cancer?

First, if you have one or more of the risk factors, such as smoking, you should stop. Next, many researchers believe that diet and exercise can help reduce the chances of getting cervical cancer. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk, and a diet that includes large amounts of vitamins a, C, and E. can help as well. In addition, eating foods rich in folic acid, carotenoids, CoQ10, and fish oil can help prevent the disease, as well. Using condoms during intercourse is also a preventative.

Is there follow up treatment for cervical cancer?

Yes, there is follow up treatment. Even if the doctors think they got all the cancer, there could be undetected cancer cells somewhere else in the body, so follow up pap smears are still necessary. So are physical exams and chest x-rays. You should also tell your doctor if you have any unusual symptoms or feel any growths or lumps, or have changes in your sleeping, eating, or general health.