Make sure that your daughter knows the facts about cervical cancer including:

• Cervical cancer kills almost 3 women every day in the UK,¹
• It is the most common cancer in women aged 20-29 and the second most common cancer in women under 35 years old.^12-13
• Unlike some cancers, cervical cancer is not usually hereditary – passed on through families.^{2 18}
• Almost all cases are caused by a common virus called HPV.²
• Girls and women could catch the virus as soon as they start having intimate relationships so it makes sense to take steps to reduce your risk before that time arrives.
• It is possible to catch the virus from just one sexual experience - either through sexual intercourse or from intimate skin-to-skin contact in the genital area.³
• The virus is usually cleared naturally but sometimes it persists and could lead to cervical cancer.⁴
• Talk to her about what she can do to reduce her risk of developing cervical cancer:
  • Lead a healthy lifestyle⁵ Find out more here – encourage her:
    • not to take up smoking
    • to keep alcohol to recommended daily levels
    • to make sure she uses protection if and when she does have sexual intercourse
  • Go for cervical screening or 'smear tests' when invited (at age 25 in England, 20 in the rest of the UK)^{6, 17} Find out more here
  • If she is aged 12-18 she can get the HPV vaccination through the NHS, even if she has left school.¹⁴ If she is over 18 years old, she can speak to her GP, nurse or high street pharmacist about local availability of vaccination. Find out more here

* The legal age for buying cigarettes and alcohol is 18 years and the age of consent for sexual intercourse is 16 years in the UK