January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. Cervical health pertains to maintaining the health of the cervix in the female body. Taking care of your cervical health can help you prevent cervical cancer. Every year, about 11,500 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Four thousand women will die from cervical cancer each year, according to Centers for Disease Control.  

How to Get Screened 

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), “The most common form of cervical cancer starts with pre-cancerous changes and there are ways to stop this from developing. The first way is to find and treat pre-cancers before they become invasive cancers, and the second is to prevent the pre-cancers.”  

Cervical cancer is often preventable and can be detected early by taking one of two tests. The HPV test and the Pap test are screening tests used to determine if you have pre-cancerous cells or conditions that may lead to cervical cancer.  

• The HPV test looks for infections caused by high-risk types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer.  

• The Pap test, also known as a pap smear, is a procedure where cells scraped from the cervix are looked at in a laboratory to find cancer and precancer.  

How to Prevent Cervical Cancer 

There are ways to prevent cervical cancer. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the general cause of cervical cancer, but this can be prevented with HPV vaccine. It is recommended this vaccine is taken between the ages of 9-12 and is a series of shots. There are little to no side effects. Ages 13-26 year old who have not been vaccinated can still get the vaccine, but the earlier you get the vaccine, the better. According to the ACS, vaccination of young adults is not as effective in preventing as many cancers as vaccination does in children and teens. If an HPV infection is already there, the vaccine will not work since it only prevents infection.  

After receiving the vaccine, it is still important to get yearly screenings. Starting at the age of 21, or whenever you become sexually active, you should be screened yearly. The ACS states that most cervical cancers are found in women who have never had a pap test or have not had a test recently.  

If you’re nervous about what a screening test looks like, the ACS has created a 3D visual showing you the process of a screening. You can find this demonstration here.  

Check out this video from the Mayo Clinic that dives into what cervical cancer is, symptoms, who can get it, and how to treat it.   

How AFSPA Can Help 

Foreign Service Benefit Plan (FSBP) members that are age 18+ can earn a $25 wellness incentive after completing their cervical cancer screening. A cervical cancer screening is 100% covered with an in-network provider. FSBP covers 70% of the Plan allowance with an out-of-network provider. If you are overseas, it is also 100% covered. Learn more about FSBP’s Simple Steps to Living Well here. Call your doctor and schedule your cervical cancer screening today! 

Sources 

https://www.cdc.gov/cervical-cancer/statistics/index.html  

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/prevention.html  

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/screening-tests.html