What is Cervical Health Awareness and Why is it So Important?
The month of January is for cervical health awareness to encourage women to be attentive to their cervical health, which can be neglected by many of us and throughout our lives. We need more knowledge about cervical health so we can take care of ourselves better to understand our own body’s health and to detect issues earlier so we can prevent or receive earlier treatment.
Over 13,000 females suffer from cervical cancer every year here in the US. Cervical cancer can be prevented with the HPV vaccine and can be detected with annual exams and pap smears. We should be starting cervical health checks at a young age starting in high school and continue to do so throughout our life. The earlier it is found, the better for treatment to get started and survive.
I personally know family members and friends that have dealt with and fought cervical cancer, some even are dealing with it currently. It is more common than we realize and not all of us are getting regular checkups to monitor our bodies for just in case we need medical care.
Always ask your Gyno/Ob about ways to take care of your body and health. If you don't have a gyno/ob, look locally around for one that you trust. If you can't afford one, look into local help like your health department or family planning clinics for info on where to go that is covered by your state. There are options for everyone that is part of local and state funding that makes testing and paps/exams free. Please go get care and do it every year!
Knowing more about cervical health means we can take control of our health care and our bodies. It means taking care of ourselves fully so look into cervical health and be sure to see your Gyno/OB regularly for exams and checkups.
Here are links for more information:
https://www.aacr.org/patients-caregivers/awareness-months/cervical-cancer-awareness-month/#:~:text=Read%20Cervical%20Cancer%3A%20Advances%20in,is%20Cervical%20Cancer%20Awareness%20Month.
https://www.nccc-online.org/cervical-health-awareness-month/
https://www.nfid.org/tag/cervical-cancer-awareness-month/
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/cervicalcancer/index.htm