Cervical Cancer - What Increases Your Risk
The most common cause of cervical cancer is a persistent infection with a high-risk type of human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV infection of the cervix is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). A past HPV infection in you or your partner can cause abnormal cervical cell changes years later because the virus may remain in the body for life. HPV infection usually does not cause symptoms and often goes away without causing any problems, so you or your partner may not be aware of a current or past HPV infection.
Other risk factors that may increase your risk for cervical cancer include:
Understanding Cervical Cancer -- Prevention
Since infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most important risk factor for cervical cancer and precancers, it is important to avoid genital HPV infection. This may mean delaying sex, limiting the number of sex partners, and avoiding a sex partner who has had several other partners. Condoms are important to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, but they can't give full protection against HPV since there may be skin to skin contact of exposed areas which can transmit the virus...
Read the Understanding Cervical Cancer -- Prevention article > >
- High-risk sexual behaviors, such as having more than one sex partner, or having a sex partner who has more than one partner. Safer sex can reduce your risk.
- Having an
impaired immune system. For example, women with
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seem to:1
- Have higher rates of HPV infection.
- Be more likely to develop cervical cell changes from HPV.
- Be more likely to quickly develop cervical cancer from those cell changes.
- Using birth control pills for more than 5 years.
- Exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) before birth (prenatal exposure), though this is rare.
- Smoking cigarettes or breathing in secondhand smoke.
Pregnant women have the same risk of developing cervical cancer as nonpregnant women.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
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