Reducing Your Risk - Chapter 10 Cervical Cancer: Cancer

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Reducing your risk

The best way to protect yourself against cervical cancer is to avoid the risk of infection with HPV. Unfortunately, using condoms while having sex is not sufficient to protect you, because HPV can be transmitted by any skin-to-skin contact at the genitals. If you are sexually active, a monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is the safest choice. Having sex with someone who has had multiple sexual partners puts you at higher risk.

In addition to avoiding risky sexual behavior, the Center for Disease Control recommends girls and women ages nine to 26 to take the HPV vaccine, which was approved by the FDA in 2006. The vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer, so regular Pap smears are still important.

Screening is another important step in protection against cervical cancer. The good new is that cervical cancer is one of the few kinds of cancer with a highly effective screening test. Women should begin screening for cervical cancer within 3 years of first sexual intercourse or age 21 (whichever comes first) and should continue screening at least once every 3 years.

Last updated:	May 01, 2008