The Facts
Cervical cancer kills almost 3 women every day in the UK.
1 It is the most common cancer in women aged 20-29 and unless caught early could mean that you are no longer able to have children.
12-13 Almost all cases are caused by a common virus.
2 You could catch the virus, called HPV, as soon as you start having intimate relationships - either through sexual intercourse or from intimate skin-to-skin contact in the genital area. It is possible to catch it from just one sexual experience.
3 The more people you or your partner have sex with, the more likely you are to catch the virus. The virus is usually cleared naturally but sometimes it persists inside the cells of the cervix and could cause abnormal cells to develop. If these cells are left undetected and untreated, they could go on to develop into cervical cancer.
4
Unlike some cancers, cervical cancer is not usually hereditary – passed on through families
2,18
What you can do
You can reduce your risk by leading a
healthy lifestyle, going for regular
cervical smear tests when invited by your GP surgery (at age 25 in England, 20 in the rest of the UK) and vaccination.
5-7,17 HPV
vaccination is available through the NHS if you are aged 12-18, i.e. all girls born on or after 1st September 1990, even if you’ve left school.
14 For more information speak to your local GP/nurse.
Click here for more FAQs about cervical cancer