Check new cervical cancer screenings

On an episode of the controversial show “Girls,” Hannah finds out she’s contracted HPV. When she tells her friend Shoshanna, Shoshanna, referring to another friend, says: “Jessa has HPV, like a couple different strands of it. She says all adventurous women do.”

While it’s true that infection with some strain of HPV is almost universal among folks who are sexually active — more than 79 million Americans are carrying a strain of the virus — testing for it hasn’t been part of a regular gynecological exam until now.

Women have relied on a Pap smear every three years beginning at age 21 to check for cervical dysplasia (precancerous cell changes) and cervical cancer (usually caused by an HPV infection). But now, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says evidence confirms that women over 30 can get an HPV test, which looks for the virus itself, instead of a Pap smear, and then can safely wait five years between tests if they want to. Women 21 to 30 should still continue to get a Pap smear every three years — and skip the HPV testing.

If you have HIV or a compromised immune system, or were previously treated for a high-grade precancerous lesion or cervical cancer, you’re at a higher risk for cervical cancer and should talk to your doc about an individualized screening plan.

Spot the clot

Bruises can be painful and turn shades of black and blue, but generally they’re not harmful. One caveat: Easy or spontaneous bruising can indicate underlying disease and a need to see your doc.

A blood clot, on the other hand, is a concentrated aggregation of blood. It forms from an external injury to blood vessels or internal injury to the lining of a blood vessel from plaque, or because of dysfunction in your blood’s flow-and-clot chemistry. Clots can obstruct blood flow or dislodge and travel through your bloodstream, triggering heart attack, stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). So if you spot a clot, see your doc. Some tips:

Near your skin’s surface, clots can appear bruise-like, but are generally redder and the underlying vein may be hard to the touch.

A clot that’s moved and is causing trouble may trigger swelling and pain in an extremity (DVT); slurred speech and vision problems (stroke); chest pain or upper body discomfort, shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate (PE or heart attack).

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.