How do you protect yourself from Cervical Cancer and other HPV Diseases ?

Cervical cancer could happen to you.

Cervical cancer may not be something you’re thinking about at this point in your life. But it should be. It’s caused by certain types of a common virus called Human Papillomavirus, or HPV. You are especially at risk for HPV during your teens and 20s—but you can get HPV at any point in your lifetime. And since cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide after breast cancer, it’s something we should all be thinking about now.

Know the link between HPV, cervical cancer, and genital warts.

There are certain types of HPV that you should really know about. They cause the most cases of HPV-related diseases in women. For most people, the body’s own defense system will clear the virus, but when it doesn’t, certain diseases can develop. There’s no way to know whether your body will or won’t clear the virus.

Some types can cause cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, and vulvar cancer.

When a female becomes infected with certain types of HPV and the virus doesn’t go away on its own, abnormal cells can develop. If not found early and treated, these abnormal cells can become precancers, and then cancer.

Other types can cause genital warts.

Genital warts are usually flesh-colored growths. The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are different from the types that can cause cancer.