Birth Control and Cervical Cancer

People who are not ready to raise a family or don’t want to have anymore kids should practice birth control. For those who use birth control pills, you should be alarmed by a new study that shows that women who have taken it for a long time are at risk for developing cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer happens to about 15,000 Americans. Of that that number, a little over a third will die from this disease while the rest can be treated thanks to its early detection using Pap tests.

Women get cervical cancer from an infection known as the human papilloma virus or HPV through sexual intercourse. Most of the time, the body is able to fight it but researchers have discovered that more than half of the test group that has used oral contraceptives for more than 5 years are at risk of this disease.

You won’t see any symptoms during the early stages of cervical cancer. This will only be seen later on as you experience continuous vaginal discharge that may be bloody, brown, pale, pink and foul smelling. It is also possible that there is abnormal vaginal bleeding when you have a period, after intercourse or during post menopause. Another possibility could be heavier and longer lasting periods.

The researchers who conducted the study did not really explain why or how pills increase the risk of this form of cancer. It merely said it did and when other people read the findings, the only conclusion they could think of was the fact the since the women in the study were on the pill, this made them more sexually active.

There is nothing wrong with being sexually active but if you have multiple partners, there is a chance that one of them could be a carrier of this kind of sexually transmitted disease.

But there are those who disagree with the findings. Other studies have shown that the practice of birth control especially the use of pills decreases the chances of women from ever being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

To be safe, women are advised to undergo regular screenings like the Pap test. Women under the age of 30 should go to the clinic annually while those who are older should have this done every two to three years.

Birth control methods also have other risks aside from cervical cancer. These include high blood pressure, liver tumors, breast cancer.

The more common side effects that you will encounter are nausea, breakthrough bleeding or spotting, breast tenderness, mood chances, decreased sex drive, weight gain, vaginal discharge, cervical changes and gallbladder disease.

But not all birth control methods available do have side effects. Abstaining and outercourse which is the opposite of intercourse are still considered to be the most effective as the sperm never meets the egg.

For those who can’t control their urges and want to get physical, they can rely on the condom since the only possible problems could be skin irritation and if your sexual partner is allergic to the latex version.

Until private companies are able to develop a better birth control pill or device that does not have side effects or increase the risk of cancer or any other disease, these are things that both men and women have to live with when they want to get some action.

Can You Prevent Cervical Cancer?

You may have heard about a new vaccine that can help prevent cervical cancer. This is something that is marketed towards teenage girls in the hopes that they will not develop some types of this cancer. You may not think you are at risk, but even older women can have problems with this. At times, it can be deadly, or at the very least, it can cost a woman the opportunity to have a baby of her own. The vaccine is helpful, but it is not the only way that a woman can try to prevent getting cervical cancer. The answer is to do a few important things and to start young. If you have daughters, help them make the right choices.

The vaccine on the market can help prevent cervical cancer, but you should know that it does not cover all types of cancer of the cervix. Unfortunately, there are a few different ones and the vaccine is known to work with only one or two of these types. That means it is not always 100 percent helpful, but it can be for some girls. As a parent, it is a good idea to research this vaccine and talk with the doctor about it. In some cases, and ounce of prevention is the key, but not always. It certainly can not hurt to have the vaccination if it has been proven safe.

Some parents do not want to allow their daughters to get this vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer in some girls. They feel that if their daughters have this shot, they will feel protected and will not get the right type of medical attention. There is some truth to this, that is why it is important to discuss the power and the limitations of such a shot. While it can help, routine pap smears are still essential to good health. As stated, this shot only works with one or two types of cervical cancer, which means pap smears are important to check for the other types. If girls understand this and parents take them to appointments when needed, this problem can be eliminated.

If the shot is not something that parents choose for their daughters, routine pap smears become even more important in an effort to prevent cervical cancer. These appointments should be kept each year and follow up is important. Many times a result of 'irregular cells' may come up – which can indicate cervical cancer. However, that is not always the case. When this happens, a medication is prescribed and a follow up is necessary. For most girls, the follow up with come up clean and there will be no more problems. If cancer is a possibility, it is important to know it and get quick treatment to better the chances of survival.

There is no way to totally prevent cervical cancer, but you can do all that you can to lower your chances. This means routine medical care, the vaccination if appropriate, and taking any abnormalities very seriously. Some women still get cancer and have to go through treatment and there may never be anything that can be done about that. However, taking your health seriously can mean something is caught early and treated effectively. Cervical cancer is different from other types, so learning about it can go a long way towards preventing cervical cancer for some girls and women.