Cervical Health Awareness Month
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. Unfortunately, cancer is prevalent, but it’s one of those things you don’t think will happen to you. We like to think that we are healthy, but cancer is a complicated disease. Every year, almost 300.000 women are diagnosed with cervical precancers in the US.
Here at MYCHN, we have compiled a list of prevention tips for a healthy cervix!
What are Cervical Cancer Risk Factors?
Risk factors can increase your cancer risk. There are multiple risk factors for cervical cancer; some of them may surprise you.
- Sexual history:Â Your sexual history can put you more at risk for cervical cancer.
If you are sexually active at a young age (18 years old and under)
- Diet: If you do not consume fruits and vegetables regularly, you could be at higher risk for cervical cancer.
- Cervical Cancer in the family: If you have family members who have cervical cancer, your chances of developing cervical cancer are higher than if no one in your family has it. In some cases, this is because of rare inherited conditions that make it harder for some women to fight HPV.
In other cases, women with a family history of cervical cancer have similar non-genetic risk factors, such as lifestyle.
- Multiple Full-term Pregnancies: Having multiple full-term pregnancies puts you at high risk for developing cervical cancer.
 According to the American Cancer Society, studies have shown that hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy can make women more prone to HPV infection and cancer growth.
-  Long-term use of birth control: evidence suggests that taking birth control pills for an extended time increases the risk of cervical cancer. The risk is higher the longer you ingest birth control pills. However, research shows that the risk decreases after women no longer take birth control.
- Smoking: many Americans smoke or vape. It’s a difficult habit to quit. However, this may help you put the pack down.
Cigarettes are filled with many cancer-causing chemicals. These chemicals affect not only your lungs but also other organs.
Women who smoke are twice as likely to develop cervical cancer! The American Cancer Society says that tobacco by-products are found in the cervical mucus of women who smoke.
Scientists believe that these chemicals damage the DNA of cervix cells, which may contribute to the development of cervical cancer.
How can you Have a Healthy Cervix?
Prevention is going to be vital to lowering your risk of cervical cancer. What are some cervical cancer prevention methods? 
- Pap Smear: A pap smear looks for cervical changes that are not normal or changes that can indicate cancer or lead to cancer. Cervical cancer does take time to develop, so regular pap smear screenings act as an excellent form of prevention. 
- Following up with your health care provider: Unfortunately, many women do not follow up with their health care providers. There are many reasons for this, such as distrust in health care providers and lack of insurance.
However, following up with your doctor is extremely important. This is where you get your additional pap smear screenings, colposcopy exams, and other preventative measures.
-  Get the HPV Vaccine  
The HPV vaccine protects you against common sub strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer in women.
- Limit your sexual partners 
HPV spreads easily. It’s not hard to get exposed to HPV. HPV is passed through skin-to-skin contact. This means that the virus can be spread without sex. According to the American Cancer Society, HPV can even be spread through hand to genital contact.
Limiting the number of your sexual partners could put you at a lower risk of HPV.
- Don’t Smoke
Like we said before, smoking has a lot of harmful cancer-causing chemicals. Furthermore, smoking weakens your immune system. This makes it harder for your body to fight viruses like HPV. HPV can also lead to cervical cancer.
Pap Smear Near Me
So, you’ve read our fantastic blog post, and now you want to take a step toward a healthy cervix. MYCHN has you covered! In all seriousness, MYCHN offers pap smears and many other women’s health services. We have 11 locations in the metropolitan Houston area. CHN Cares for patients with private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare and for uninsured! Visit our website  for more.
Bottom Line:
More than 13,000 women are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer in the US. Thankfully Cervical cancer is preventable with vaccination and screenings. The road to a healthy cervix does not have to be super complicated. You can decrease your risk of cervical cancer with health screenings and lifestyle changes.
Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet is an excellent way to boost your immune system to help fight off cervical precancers!
