Cervical cancer: Signs, symptoms and how to prevent
Cervical cancer symptoms often don’t show during its early stages.
These are the most common signs of the disease and how to prevent it, express.co.uk reported.
Cervical cancer is a condition that develops in a woman’s cervix — the entrance to the womb.
While the cancer often doesn’t have symptoms in its early stages, there are some crucial signs of the disease.
Bleeding from the vagina at any time, other than during your monthly period, could be a sign of cervical cancer.
It said, “Visit your GP for advice if you experience any type of unusual vaginal bleeding.
“If the cancer spreads out of your cervix and into surrounding tissue and organs, it can trigger a range of other symptoms.”
Constipation, ¿nding blood in the urine, bone pain, loss of appetite and weight loss could all be signs of the condition.
Symptoms aren’t always obvious, and that’s why you should attend all of your cervical screening appointments, the National Health Service (NHS) said.
The screening, otherwise known as a smear test, aims to spot abnormal cells on the cervix.
Women aged between 25 and 49 should be screened every three years. If you’re aged 50 to 64, it’s every ¿ve years.
She said, “Laura Smith, 30, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in May 2017. She had no symptoms of the condition at all.
“I was called for a routine smear test when I was pregnant but due to guidelines I was unable to have this until 12 weeks after delivery this is where they found severe abnormalities.
“I showed no symptoms at all. Even the consultants were gobsmacked when my results came back.
“My advice to other people would be to not fear the smear test. If I hadn’t have gone for mine, my story would have been a lot different.”
The NHS added, “Most cases of the cancer are linked to an infection from the human papilloma virus (HPV). You can also be vaccinated against HPV, which signi¿cantly reduces the risk of cervical cancer.”
Smokers are also less able to get rid of the HPV infection from the body, so quitting smoking could lower your risk.
Two people died from cervical cancer everyday, and nine are diagnosed with the condition each day.
About 75 percent of all cervical cancer cases could be prevented by smear tests, it’s estimated.