Girls, did you know that although breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women, the leading cause of death among Thai women is “cervical cancer”, which causes an average of 12 deaths per day!! Even though it is one of the few cancers with a clearly known cause.
HPV, the harmful virus that causes cervical cancer
As for the ‘cause of cervical cancer’, it ranges from chemicals that cause chronic irritation or anything that causes cell injury. But did you know that the main culprit of cervical cancer is the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)? And the scary part is that the main route of HPV infection is through ordinary sexual intercourse.
No warning symptoms… by the time you realize, the disease has already developed
HPV can be transmitted directly through contact, mainly via sexual intercourse. Once infected, HPV remains in the body and the disease progresses over about 10-15 years, showing clear symptoms between the ages of 30-60.
If you have several of these symptoms together… you should see a doctor immediately
- Vaginal bleeding, even a little after sexual intercourse, or spotting between menstrual periods
- Heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding
- Loss of appetite, weight loss
- Discharge from the vagina or abnormal vaginal discharge, whether watery or thick, mucus-like, pus-like, blood-tinged, or containing tissue fragments, with or without odor
- Blood in stool or urine (found in cases where the cancer has spread to the bladder and lower colon)
- In cases where the lesion is large, it may cause dull pain in the lower abdomen, difficulty urinating or defecating, or pressure on the ureters causing kidney dysfunction, potentially leading to kidney failure
- Swelling of the legs, which indicates that cervical cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
Who is at risk for cervical cancer?
- Women who have had sexual intercourse before the age of 18
- Women with multiple sexual partners or whose partners have multiple sexual partners
- Women who have given birth to more than 3 children
- Those with conditions causing immunodeficiency
- Those with a history of sexually transmitted infections such as herpes, gonorrhea, etc.
- Women who smoke
When should women get screened for cervical cancer?
- Women who are sexually active at any age should have a Pap smear at least once a year
- Women who have never had sexual intercourse should start screening at age 21 or older
So, ladies, don’t feel worried or embarrassed to see the doctor because cervical cancer is curable if detected early.
