January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. In support, The Gypsy Nurse will feature several articles throughout January in an attempt to raise awareness.
Cervical Health Awareness:
According to the CDC:
“All women are at risk for cervical cancer. It occurs most often in women over age 30. Long-lasting infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. HPV is a common virus that is passed from one person to another during sex. At least half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives, but few women will get cervical cancer.”
The CDC also states that:
“Cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. However, in the past 40 years, the number of cases of cervical cancer and the number of deaths from cervical cancer have decreased significantly. This decline is largely the result of many women getting regular Pap tests, which can find cervical precancer before it turns into cancer.1″
1National Institutes of Health. Cervical Cancer. NIH Consensus Statement. 1996;14(1):1–38.
Resources:
Forums:
- Cancer Forums
Blogs:
Organizations
If there are other Cervical Health Awareness resources that you use or know about and would like to recommend, please list them in the comments!