Pap Smear

A Pap smear is a microscopic examination of cells scraped from the cervix that is used to detect cancerous or precancerous conditions of the cervix and other medical conditions. If detected, precancerous conditions can be treated before they become malignant. Between 1975 and 2001 use of the Pap smear is credited with cutting the age adjusted cervical cancer incidence in half, from 14.8 to 7.9 cases per 100,000 women; and with reducing the age adjusted cervical cancer death rate from 5.6 to 2.7 deaths per 100,000 women (1).

In 2002 cervical cancer was the reported cause of death for 4,000 women in the United States (2).

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American

Cancer Society, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists all recommend regular Pap smear screening for cervical cancer, although recommendations vary as to the frequency, timing, risk factors, and age of women to be screened (3–5).

Between 1987 and 2003 the percent of women 18 years of age and over with a Pap smear within the past 3 years increased from 74 percent to 79 percent, with increases occurring among women of all race and ethnic groups (figure 22). However, Pap smear screening rates vary considerably by race and ethnicity. In 2003 non-Hispanic black women had the highest rate of screening, 84 percent.

Both non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white women were considerably more likely to report having a recent Pap smear than Asian and Hispanic women in 2003. Screening rates for both Asian and Hispanic women increased between 1987 and 1993, but have remained fairly stable through 2003. Pap smear screening rates remained lower for Asian and Hispanic women than for non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white women. Several studies have examined barriers to cervical cancer screening for Hispanic and Asian women. Demographic and socioeconomic variables were found to be important predictors of Pap smear screening for Hispanic and Asian women, as they are for the general U.S. population (6). In addition, language and acculturation has been shown to predict Pap smear utilization among Hispanic and Asian women, with more recent immigrants and those with English language barriers, fatalistic views on cancer, and culturally-based embarrassment reporting less frequent receipt of Pap smear (7–9).

Incidence rates of cervical cancer were highest for Hispanic women and rates for black women were also higher than the average for all women (10). Despite their high Pap smear screening rates, black women had the highest death rates from cervical cancer in 1997–2001, 5.6 deaths per 100,000 women. Hispanic women also had cervical cancer death rates higher than that of non-Hispanic white and Asian women. In contrast, both the incidence rate of cervical cancer and the death rate for Asian women—who had the lowest screening level—were in line with the average rates for women of all races and ethnicities combined. The reasons for the higher death rates among black women despite their high screening rates are not fully understood. This higher mortality among black women may be in part due to diagnosis at more advanced cancer stages and lower socioeconomic status (11).

For women in whom precancerous lesions have been detected through Pap smears, the likelihood of survival is nearly 100 percent with appropriate evaluation, treatment, and followup (12).

The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) and other initiatives help low income, uninsured, and underserved women to obtain access to both screening and follow-up care for cervical cancer.

1. Ries LAG, Eisner MP, Kosary CL, et al. (eds). SEER Cancer

Statistics Review, 1975–2001. Table V-3. National Cancer

Institute. Bethesda, MD. 2004. Available at seer.cancer.gov/csr/

1975_2001/ accessed on January 5, 2005.

2. Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Anderson RN, Scott C. Deaths: Final data for 2002. National vital statistics reports; vol 53 no

5. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2004.

Available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr53/nvsr53_05.pdf accessed on February 18, 2005.

3. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for cervical cancer: Recommendations and rationale. AHRQ pub no

03–515A. January 2003. Agency for Healthcare Research and

Quality. Rockville, MD. Available at www.ahrq.gov/clinic/

3rduspstf/cervicalcan/cervcanrr.htm accessed on January 3,

2005.

4. Saslow D, Runowicz CD, Solomon D, et al. American Cancer

Society guideline for the early detection of cervical neoplasia and cancer. CA Cancer J Clin 52(6):342–62. 2002.

5. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

ACOG News Release: Revised cervical cancer screening guidelines require reeducation of women and physicians.

Available at:

www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr05–04-04–1.cfm accessed on January 5,

2005.

6. Swan J, Breen N, Coates RJ, et al. Progress in cancer screening practices in the United States: Results from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Cancer 97(6):1528–40.

2003.

7. Chaudhry S, Fink A, Gelberg L, Brook R. Utilization of

Papanicolaou smears by South Asian women living in the

United States. J Gen Intern Med 18:377–84. 2003.

8. Alba D, Sweningson JM, Chandy C, Hubbell FA. Impact of

English language proficiency on receipt of Pap smears among

Hispanics. J Gen Intern Med 19(9):967–70. 2004.

9. Austin LT, Ahmad F, McNally MJ, Stewart DE. Breast and cervical cancer screening in Hispanic women: A literature review using the health belief model. Women’s Health Issues

12(3):122–8. 2002.

10. Ries LAG, Eisner MP, Kosary CL, et al. (eds). SEER Cancer

Statistics Review, 1975–2001. Table V-7. National Cancer

Institute. Bethesda, MD. 2004. Available at:

seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2001/results_merged/topic_race_ethnicity.pdf accessed on January 6, 2005.

11. Schwartz KL, Crossley-May H, Vigneau, FD, et al. Race, socioeconomic status and stage at diagnosis for five common malignancies. Cancer Causes Control 14:761–6. 2003.

12. Lawson HW, Henson R, recommendations for the early detection of breast and cervical cancer among low-income women. MMWR Recomm Rep. 49(RR-2):37–55. 2000.

Available at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/RR/RR4902.pdf accessed on January 26, 2005.

When quoting from this source, use the following citation:

National Center for Health Statistics

Health, United States, 2005

With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans

Hyattsville, Maryland: 2005

Library of Congress Catalog Number 76–641496

For sale by Superintendent of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, DC 20402

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

Between 1975 and 2001 use of the Pap smear is credited with cutting the age adjusted cervical cancer incidence in half, from 14.8 to 7.9 cases per 100,000 women; and with reducing the age adjusted cervical cancer death rate from 5.6 to 2.7 deaths per 100,000 women. By 2002, cervical cancer was the reported cause of death of less than 4,000 women in the United States.

— American Cancer Society

Most of those deaths were the direct results of lack of access to preventive health care — in this case, an inexpensive, safe PAP Test. Due to wider access to multilingual health education, and public health clinics the number of cervical cancer deaths continues to decline. MERCK wants billions of dollars for solving a health issue that was well on its way to being eradicated; and in my personal opinion, endangering the lives of our daughters and granddaughters in their rush to make a profit before too many lawsuits forces them to pull the vaccine from the market… the ghost of VIOXX past…

Below is a description of the PAP Test.

Inconvenient Women make informed decisions.

Get educated, form an opinion and act on it.

Silence is for lambs

What is a Pap test?

The Pap test, also called a Pap smear, checks for changes in the cells of your cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina (birth canal). The Pap test can tell if you have an infection, abnormal (unhealthy) cervical cells, or cervical cancer.

Why do I need a Pap test?

A Pap test can save your life. It can find the earliest signs of cervical cancer – a common cancer in women. If caught early, the chance of curing cervical cancer is very high. Pap tests also can find infections and abnormal cervical cells that can turn into cancer cells. Treatment can prevent most cases of cervical cancer from developing.

Getting regular Pap tests is the best thing you can do to prevent cervical cancer. About 13,000 women in America will find out they have cervical cancer this year. And in 2004, 3,500 women died from cervical cancer in the United States.

Do all women need Pap tests?

It is important for all women to have pap tests, along with pelvic exams, as part of their routine health care. You need a Pap test if you are:

• 21 years or older
• under 21 years old and have been sexually active for three years or more

There is no age limit for the Pap test. Even women who have gone through menopause (when a woman’s periods stop) need regular Pap tests.

How often do I need to get a Pap test?

It depends on your age and health history. Talk with your doctor about what is best for you. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends the following:

• If you are younger than 30 years old, you should get a Pap test every year.
• If you are age 30 or older and have had three normal Pap tests for three years in a row, talk to your doctor about spacing out Pap tests to every two or three years.
• If you are ages 65 to 70 and have had at least three normal Pap tests and no abnormal Pap tests in the last 10 years, ask your doctor if you can stop having Pap tests.

You should have a Pap test every year no matter how old you are if:

• You have a weakened immune system because of organ transplant, chemotherapy or steroid use
• Your mother was exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) while pregnant
• You are HIV-positive

Women who are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are at a higher risk of cervical cancer and other cervical diseases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all HIV positive women get an initial Pap test, and get re-tested 6 months later. If both Pap tests are normal, then these women can get yearly Pap tests in the future.

Who does not need regular Pap tests?

The only women who do not need regular Pap tests are:

• Women over age 65 who have had a number of normal Pap tests and have been told by their doctors that they don’t need to be tested anymore.
• Women who do not have a cervix and are at low risk for cervical cancer. These women should speak to their doctor before stopping regular Pap tests.

I had a hysterectomy. Do I still need Pap tests?

It depends on the type of hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus) you had and your health history. Women who have had a hysterectomy should talk with their doctor about whether they need routine Pap tests.

Usually during a hysterectomy, the cervix is removed with the uterus. This is called a total hysterectomy. Women who have had a total hysterectomy for reasons other than cancer may not need regular Pap tests. Women who have had a total hysterectomy because of abnormal cells or cancer should be tested yearly for vaginal cancer until they have three normal test results. Women who have had only their uterus removed but still have a cervix need regular Pap tests. Even women who have had hysterectomies should see their doctors yearly for pelvic exams.

How can I reduce my chances of getting cervical cancer?

Aside from getting Pap tests, the best way to avoid cervical cancer is by steering clear of the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is a major cause of cervical cancer. HPV infection is also one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STD). So, a woman boosts her chances of getting cervical cancer if she:

• Starts having sex before age 18
• Has many sex partners
• Has sex partners who have other sex partners
• Has or has had a sexually transmitted disease (STD)

What should I know about human papilloma viruses (HPV)?

Human papilloma viruses are a group of more than 100 different viruses.

• About 40 types of HPV are spread during sex.
• Some types of HPVs can cause cervical cancer when not treated.
• HPV infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases.
• About 75 percent of sexually active people will get HPV sometime in their life.
• Most women with untreated HPV do NOT get cervical cancer.
• Some HPVs cause genital warts but these HPVs do not cause cervical cancer.
• Since HPV rarely causes symptoms, most people don’t know they have the infection.

How would I know if I had human papilloma virus (HPV)?

Most women never know they have HPV. It usually stays hidden and doesn’t cause symptoms like warts. When HPV doesn’t go away on its own, it can cause changes in the cells of the cervix. Pap tests usually find these changes.

How do I prepare for a Pap test?

Many things can cause wrong test results by washing away or hiding abnormal cells of the cervix. So, doctors suggest that for two days before the test you avoid:

• Douching
• Using tampons
• Using vaginal creams, suppositories, and medicines
• Using vaginal deodorant sprays or powders
• Having sex

Should I get a Pap test when I have my period?

No. Doctors suggest you schedule a Pap test when you do not have your period. The best time to be tested is 10 to 20 days after the first day of your last period.

How is a Pap test done?

Your doctor can do a Pap test during a pelvic exam. It is a simple and quick test. While you lie on an exam table, the doctor puts an instrument called a speculum into your vagina, opening it to see the cervix. She will then use a special stick or brush to take a few cells from inside and around the cervix. The cells are placed on a glass slide and sent to a lab for examination. While usually painless, a Pap test is uncomfortable for some women.

When will I get the results of my Pap test?

Usually it takes three weeks to get Pap test results. Most of the time, test results are normal. If the test shows that something might be wrong, your doctor will contact you to schedule more tests. There are many reasons for abnormal Pap test results. It usually does NOT mean you have cancer.

What do abnormal Pap test results mean?

It is scary to hear that your Pap test results are “abnormal.” But abnormal Pap test results usually do NOT mean you have cancer. Most often there is a small problem with the cervix.

Some abnormal cells will turn into cancer. But most of the time, these unhealthy cells will go away on their own. By treating these unhealthy cells, almost all cases of cervical cancer can be prevented. If you have abnormal results, to talk with your doctor about what they mean.

My Pap test was “abnormal,” what happens now?

There are many reasons for “abnormal” Pap test results. If results of the Pap test are unclear or show a small change in the cells of the cervix, your doctor will probably repeat the Pap test.

If the test finds more serious changes in the cells of the cervix, the doctor will suggest more powerful tests. Results of these tests will help your doctor decide on the best treatment. These include:

• Colposcopy: The doctor uses a tool called a colposcope to see the cells of the vagina and cervix in detail.
• Endocervical curettage: The doctor takes a sample of cells from the endocervical canal with a small spoon-shaped tool called a curette.
• Biopsy: The doctor removes a small sample of cervical tissue. The sample is sent to a lab to be studied under a microscope.

The FDA recently approved the LUMA Cervical Imaging System. The doctor uses this device right after a colposcopy. This system can help doctors see areas on the cervix that are likely to contain precancerous cells. The doctor uses this device right after a colposcopy. This system shines a light on the cervix and looks at how different areas of the cervix respond to this light. It gives a score to tiny areas of the cervix. It then makes a color map that helps the doctor decide where to further test the tissue with a biopsy. The colors and patterns on the map help the doctor tell between healthy tissue and tissue that might be diseased.

My Pap test result was a “false positive.” What does this mean?

Pap tests are not always 100 percent correct. False positive and false negative results can happen. This can be upsetting and confusing. A false positive Pap test is when a woman is told she has abnormal cervical cells, but the cells are really normal. If your doctor says your Pap results were a false positive, there is no problem.

A false negative Pap test is when a woman is told her cells are normal, but in fact, there is a problem with the cervical cells that was missed. False negatives delay the discovery and treatment of unhealthy cells of the cervix. But, having regular Pap tests boosts your chances of finding any problems. If abnormal cells are missed at one time, they will probably be found on your next Pap test.

I don’t have health insurance, how can I get a free or low-cost Pap test?

Programs funded by the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offer free or low-cost Pap tests to women in need. These and other programs are available throughout the United States. To find contact information for a program near you, visit the NBCCEDP website at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/ or call 1-888-842-6355 (select option 7). Also, your state or local health department can direct you to places that offer free or low-cost Pap tests.

Planned Parenthood offers low-cost Pap tests as well. To find the Planned Parenthood office in your area, call 1-800-230-7526 or visit their website at: http://www.ppfa.org

For more information . . .

You can find out more about Pap tests by contacting the National Women’s Health Information Center (NWHIC) at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:

Cancer Information Service, NCI, NIH, HHS

Phone Number: (800) 422-6237

Internet Address: http://cis.nci.nih.gov/

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Resource Center

Phone Number: (800) 762-2264 x 192 (for publications requests only)

Internet Address: http://www.acog.org/

American Cancer Society

Phone Number: 1-800-227-2345

Internet Address: http://www.cancer.org

National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC)

Phone Number: (800) 685-5531

Internet Address: http://www.nccc-online.org/

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Phone Number: (800) 230-7526

Internet Address: http://www.ppfa.org

Centers for Disease Control

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

Phone Number: (888) 842-6355

Internet Address: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/

All PAP SMEAR (TEST) material contained in the FAQs is free of copyright restrictions, and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the Department of Health and Human Services; citation of the sources is appreciated.

This FAQ was reviewed by Edward L. Trimble, MD, MPH

Head, Gynecologic Cancer Therapeutics & Quality of Cancer Care Therapeutics

Clinical Investigations Branch

Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program

Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis

National Cancer Institute

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

 Reported by Barbara Loe Fisher

The reports of HPV vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths continue to roll in, not only to NVIC but also to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (Search HPV4 at: http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/index.html) newspapers, and television stations.

And the only response that comes from officials at the CDC, FDA and drug companies when perfectly healthy teenage girls collapse into unconsciousness, suffer a massive seizure, get paralyzed or die suddenly after being injected with GARDASIL is the buracratic mantra: “It is a coincidence.”

“I just kept thinking about the good outcomes rather than what could actually happen.” What happened to Crystal Olivera was arm pain so severe that it left her unconscious immediately after a Gardasil shot, something she had never experienced with her hepatitis and meningitis vaccines. “The next thing I know I am on the floor in the fetal position.” Had she known more about Gardasil – “I wish I’d waited a little until it was out in the public more and also that they did more research about the negative side effects.” – Jamie Colby, Fox News (July 11, 2008) SEE VIDEO at http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=2233990&maven_referralPlayli

stId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/health/index.ht ml

“Jessica Ericzon, 17, was “an all- American teenager,” as described by one of her upstate LaFargeville teachers. Last February, she was working on her softball pitches, getting ready for a class trip to Universal Studios in Florida and hitting the slopes to snowboard with her older brother. Then one day, the blond, blue-eyed honors student collapsed dead in her bathroom. It started with a pain in the back of her head. On the advice of her family doctor, Jessie had taken a series of three Gardasil shots. The vaccine, marketed for females ages 9 to 26, is the first found to ward off strains of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer. Jessie got the first injection in July 2007. After her second shot in September, she complained of a pain in the back of her head, fatigue and soreness in some joints, said her mom, Lisa. On Feb. 20, while on winter break from school, she got her third and final dose of the vaccine. The next night, “she told me the spot on the back of her head was bothering her again,” her mom said. The next morning, Feb. 22, Lisa, a hospital technician, left for work just after 5 a.m., leaving Jessie asleep. Jessie never showed up for the class she was taking at Jefferson Community College. When her mom got home at 3:20 p.m., she found Jessie sprawled on her back on the bathroom floor, with blood spots on her head where it had hit a flowerpot. Jefferson County Medical Examiner Samuel Livingstone is stumped. “She was essentially dead by the time she hit the floor. Whatever it was, it was instantaneous,” Livingstone said. His autopsy found no cause.” – Susan Edelman, New York Post (July 20, 2008)

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07202008/news/regionalnews/my_girl_died_as_guinea_pig_for_gardasil_120737.htm

” Katherine Kimzey got her first injection of Gardasil along with a Hepatitis-A vaccine and a chicken pox booster. She got the second injection two months later, along with the D-TaP vaccination. Six weeks after the second injection of Gardasil, Katherine passed out. “I tried to get up and my neck was stiff, and I couldn’t move it,” the teenager explained. “I couldn’t move at all.” Katherine spent five days in the hospital.

Shannon Nelson, 18, from the Chicago area, got the Gardasil shot and two other vaccines– at the same time. Within a week the soccer star could barely move. “When I went into the hospital I couldn’t walk at all. I had to have a wheelchair. It just got worse each day,” she explained. Nelson spent 23 days in the hospital and while she’s better now the teenager believes one of the vaccines she received is responsible for her illness and her neurologist says it’s certainly possible.

Katherine Kimzey is back on the soccer field in North Texas. But she still has occasional pain and doesn’t know what the future will hold. Thinking about her past experience she says she still worries and so does her mom. Michelle Kimzey says next time; she won’t be so quick to jump on the new vaccine bandwagon. “I think the connection is huge,” she said.

In a statement to CBS 11 News, Merck — the maker of Gardasil — said it has analyzed the reports of paralysis and death, and believes: no safety issue related to the vaccine has been identified.” – Ginger Allen, CBS News 11 – Dallas (July 21, 2008) http://cbs11tv.com/health/Gardasil.cervical.cancer.2.776277.html

“Consumer concerns over safety have not been assuaged by “reassurances from the government,” said Barbara Loe Fisher, cofounder of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC). “We have heard reassurances about safety before – for example, with the whole-cell pertussis (diphtheria- pertussis-tetanus [DPT]) vaccine in the 1980s,” she said, noting that this was subsequently withdrawn and replaced by an acellular version in the United States in the 1990s. Ms. Fisher has a son whom she believes was damaged by the DPT vaccine 28 years ago, and she has worked ever since as an activist in the vaccine safety field in various capacities, including a 4-year stint as a consumer member of the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.

In addition, the NVIC has been running its own private vaccine reaction registry for the past 26-years, and it currently has about 140 reports on Gardasil, Ms. Fisher said. “These include reports of injury and death, and we are seeing a pattern of what we have termed ‘atypical collapse,’ ” she commented. “These include cases where a girl suddenly passes into unconsciousness either immediately or within 24 hours of vaccination and then revives feeling weak and unable to speak properly or exhibiting other neurological signs. What we are concerned about is that girls are not aware of this possibility and could be crossing the road or driving a car and suddenly pass out.” Ms. Fisher also outlined concerns about how Gardasil has been studied. She pointed out that very few of the participants in the clinical trials were aged 11 to 12 years, which is the recommended target age for the vaccine. The New York Times reported in 2006 that of the 20,000 trial participants, 1200 were younger than 16 years.” – Zosia Chustecka, Medscape Medical News (August 8, 2008) http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/578110

Sources:

http:://www.vaccineawakening.blogspot.com

http://www.NVIC.org

http://www.StandUpBeCounted.org

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

Corporate Greed and the FDA’s Failure to Protect

Reported by Barbara Loe Fisher

The vaccine reaction reports keep coming into the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) from mothers describing how they took their healthy teenage girls into a pediatrician or gynecologist’s office where they were given a GARDASIL shot and, then, nothing was ever the same again.

The reports of HPV vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths continue to roll in, not only to NVIC but also to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (Search HPV4 at: http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/index.html) newspapers, and television stations.

 And the only response that comes from officials at the CDC, FDA and drug companies when perfectly healthy teenage girls collapse into unconsciousness, suffer a massive seizure, get paralyzed or die suddenly after being injected with GARDASIL is the zombie mantra: “It is a coincidence.”

Last week a nurse who is an administrator in the outpatient department for a group of hospitals in California called and asked if NVIC had been getting reports of unusual collapse after GARDASIL vaccination. I said, yes, we are getting those reports and she said “A lot of our patients are collapsing after the shot is given. It happens with GARDASIL more frequently than with any other vaccine we give.” That same week, NVIC received a report from the mother of a 15-year old daughter who got her first GARDASIIL shot last month. Within 10 minutes of being injected, she collapsed and had her first grand mal seizure, became incontinent, temporarily lost vision in her right eye, suffered uncontrolled vomiting and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Another report to NVIC that week also involved first-time seizures in a 15-year old girl after she got a GARDASIL shot.

Through June 30, 2008, there have been reports that at least 17 to 20 deaths have occurred following GARDASIL and were filed with the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), although the FDA has yet to admit even one death is causally related to the vaccine, suggesting that the girls would have died that day even if no vaccine had been given.

Many of the teenage girls, who die suddenly after vaccination without explanation, were among the brightest and the best and in top physicial condition. This was true for 17-year old Jessica Ericzon, a New York softball player, snowboarder and honor roll student who dropped dead within 48 hours of getting a GARDASIL shot. A coroner could find no cause for her death after an autopsy.

There have been so many reports of reactions, injuries and deaths following GARDASIL vaccination (20-25 percent of all vaccine adverse event reports being filed with VAERS are for GARDASIL vaccine reactions) that the FDA and CDC issued a statement defending the vaccine’s safety on July 22, 2008.

But one of the vaccine’s developers has urged caution and offers practical advice about the need for continued use of Pap screening to prevent cervical cancer rather than relying on the vaccine to do the job. ” If you are at all concerned, then don’t have the vaccine – have regular Pap smears and you will be equally protected from cervical cancer….Pap screening is still the only proven method we have for cervical cancer prevention,” said Professor Diane Harper, Ph.D. “We don’t know how long the vaccine will protect a woman from HPV infection, and the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV infection that cause cervical cancer.”

The “coincidence” defense mounted by doctors and drug-company officials every time a vaccination is followed by injury and death is as old as it is unscientific.

It is amazing that they have been able to get away with it for so long. Babies can’t talk and babies can’t walk so who they will become is still a dream. But young girls and women have already become much of who they will be and, on the cusp of fulfilling the dream, their vaccine deaths and injuries are much more difficult to sweep under the carpet.

It is immoral for doctors in government and industry to continue to look away from the damage done when vaccines cut down the brightest and most physically fit among us. The suggestion that these healthy, high functioning girls were biologically compromised and would have died or been injured that day even if no vaccine had been given is ludicrous. If those in government responsible for protecting the public health and safety look the other way when healthy individuals die and are injured by pharmaceutical products pronounced by government as “safe” for public use, then we cannot be assured that any licensed drug or vaccine is safe.

Last year, the head of the FDA in China was executed for allowing toxic pharmaceutical products to be licensed and released for public use that ended up killing and crippling people.

Sources: http://www.vaccineawakening.blogspot.com

http://www.NVIC.org

http://www.StandUpBeCounted.org

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

By Devra Davis, PhD, MPH

Review by Leslie Botha, Holy Hormones Honey!

In a recent interview on CSPAN Davis stated, “For much of its history, the cancer war has been fighting the wrong battles, with the wrong weapons, against the wrong enemies.”

The Secret History of the War on Cancer by Dr. Devra Davis shows, decade by decade, how the campaign has targeted the disease and left off the table the things that cause it—tobacco, alcohol, the workplace, and other environmental hazards. Conceived in explicitly military terms, the effort has focused on defeating an enemy by detecting, treating, and curing disease. Overlooked and suppressed was any consideration of how the world in which we live and work affects whether we get cancer. The result is appalling: over 10 million preventable cancer deaths over the past thirty years.

This has been no accident.

With each page of Davis’ carefully crafted book, readers will become more conscious of the obvious issues that have been ignored or marginalized and appalled by the attitude and actions of America’s medical profession, the American Cancer Society, the petrochemical industry and, “our” government. Many of us concerned with the health and wellness of women and girls knew something just wasn’t right; but Dr. Davis’s book moves us from inkling to awareness.

Filled with compelling personalities and never-before-revealed information. The Secret History of the War on Cancer is the gripping story of a major public health effort diverted and distorted for private gain. It carefully documents how, over time, the “WAR” on Cancer has come to be orchestrated by the leaders of those industries that made cancer-causing products, and who sometimes profited from drugs and technologies for finding and treating the disease.

Davis, driven by the conviction, writes with passion about premature deaths, and preventable illnesses resulting from exposure to industrial toxins and presents a powerful call to action. In the book she proposes a kind of truth-and-reconciliation approach to get industry and public health experts mutually involved; but notes that, based on the continued loss of life, change is simply not happening fast enough.

Among the Findings Described in The Secret History of the War on Cancer

— As early as 1936, the world’s leading cancer scientists understood that tobacco, diagnostic and solar radiation, benzene, and hormones caused cancer. The preparation and conduct of World War II with its focus on immediate survival effectively sidetracked these early findings of cancer hazards.

— Many more young people (those under 40 years of age) are getting cancer. One of the reasons may be the excessive use of x-rays in infants and children, and our failures to reduce exposures to other cancer hazards like those in urban air or agents that can leach from some plastics. Earlier this year, the American College of Radiology advised against unnecessary and excessive use of CT and other forms of diagnostic radiation in children, warning that this will further add to the growing cancer burden in young people today.

— When first reports emerged that coke oven workers had higher rates of lung cancer in the 1970s, some suggested that this was because most of them were black. Not until similar findings showed up in white Mormon workers five years later, was the link between coke oven work and lung cancer established. While one in eight Americans today is black, one in three works in a blue collar job, and one in five lives within two miles of a hazardous waste site. This increased environmental burden has never been considered when trying to understand why rates of prostate, breast, and colo-rectal cancer are so much higher in blacks than whites.

— Davis cited women chemist in Shanghai had a 14% increased incidence of breast cancer; chemists around the world also have a higher rate of cancer – due to poor protection in the laboratory.

— The life-saving test for cervix cancer, called the Pap smear, was not put into use for more than a decade after it was shown to save lives, because of fears that it would undermine the private practice of medicine. These delays led to the deaths or unnecessary surgery of millions of women, who succumbed to an illness that could have been avoided.

— Pasteur developed the germ theory of disease and was concerned about infectious disease. His dying words were; “remember the host; remember the host conditions” – in reference to milkmaids and their carrying infectious germs – without necessarily becoming ill from them.

— Old approach to curing cancer came out of WWII and the poison Gas Therapy

Leukemia – over abundance of white blood cells (weiss blut) chemotherapy was developed as a poison gas to fight the cells and was developed as secret army research.

—New paradigm of treating cancer includes boosting the immune system and the development of extracts from broccoli, chocolate and red wine to fight what many are coming to believe are cancers that are viral in nature.

Concerning Hormones and Cancer…

Davis reintroduces Barbara Seaman’s 1969 book, The Doctors’ Case Against the Pill, which was the basis for the Nelson Pill Hearings on the safety of the combined oral contraceptive pill. As a result of the hearings, a health warning was added to the pill, the first informational insert for any prescription drug. Robert Finch, Secretary of HEW, wrote Seaman “… THE DOCTORS’ CASE AGAINST THE PILL… was a major factor in our strengthening the language in the final warning published in the Federal Register to be included in each package of the Pill.” The dramatic events surrounding the hearings also brought together many soon-to-be prominent health feminists for the first time, and encouraged them to pursue further action. In 1975 Seaman co-founded the National Women’s Health Network with Alice Wolfson, Belita Cowan, Mary Howell, M.D., and Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D. According to Davis – we should have listened to Barbara’s warning thirty years ago. Dr Seaman is now celebrated in the same medical circles that blackballed her then. The government has finally confirmed that her warning about synthetic estrogen was correct.

— Davis cites studies showing HRT raises the risk of breast cancer, blood clots, heart attacks and dementia.

— About HPV …it is a factor in not just cervical cancer, but laryngeal and an anal — however the vaccine has not been fully tested as an agent against infectious disease.

—Questionable HPV Trail Methodology — Less than 20,000 girls between the ages of 15 – 25 were tested, and yet the CDC recommends the vaccine for girls as young as 11 and 12. Davis raised the question of what about the boys? And noted that two of three sexual encounters for teens less than 18 yrs old ARE NOT CONSENTUAL.

What People Are Saying

“A breathtaking, impeccably documented wake-up call for what we should have done and what we must do!”

— Teresa Heinz Kerry, co-author of This Moment on Earth

“With the mastery of a great writer, Devra Davis takes the reader inside the successes, the failures, and the ambiguity of research on cancer.”

— Lorenzo Tomatis, MD, Former Director,

International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization

“The Secret History of the War on Cancer is a masterful combination of scientific insights and investigative journalism. If you want to know why one in three Americans develops cancer, read this book.”

—Mitchell Gaynor, MD, President, Gaynor Integrative Oncology

About the Author

Devra Davis, Ph.D., M.P.H., is the Director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and Professor of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health. She was appointed by President Clinton to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board in 1994 and also served as Scholar in Residence at the National Academy of Science. She works in Pittsburgh, and lives in Washington, D.C.

A portion of the profits from this book will go to support research on cancer prevention.

OK! OK! I’ve read it NOW WHAT!

This book is a timely, well-written, and stunning exposé — Share It.

• Request your local library ordered a copy of the book.
• If your local bookstore is not carrying the book, request that they order it.
• Start a reading group based at your local bookstore.
• Request that your local high school and college libraries order the book. If they don’t have the budget, buy it your self and donate the book to the library (Donations are a tax deductible action)
• Buy and send a copy to our congressional representative, and ask what he/she plans to do to stop the uncontrolled use and dumping of toxins into our environment and to protect the health of people who what to work with or around these chemicals and environmental toxins.
• Talk to your friends and family about the book and what it means to their health.

Inconvenient Women do not get Angry — We Get ACTIVE!

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

An analysis of case-control studies has found that use of oral contraceptives for ≥ 5 years in women with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer.  This confirms existing knowledge and emphasises the need for regular cervical screening of all women aged 20-69 years who have ever been sexually active.

Not all HPV infection is persistent or leads to cancer

The presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is known to play the major causative role in cervical cancer.  However, the development of such cancer is multi-factorial and HPV infection alone is not thought to be sufficient.[1,2]  More than 30 HPV types infect the genital tract, and these have been classified as either low or high risk types according to the potential of infected cells to progress to carcinoma.[3]  Many sexually active women have HPV present at some time in their lives, and in most cases it disappears after a time with no resultant problems. It is the persistence of HPV, in particular a high risk type, that contributes to the development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cancer.  Women with persistent HPV on smear tests are usually referred for colposcopy.[4]

Increase in cervical cancer with OC use for ≥ 5 years in HPV-positive women

A pooled analysis of eight case-control studies looking at the effect of oral contraceptives (OCs) on the risk of cervical cancer was published in March 2002 in the Lancet.[1]  The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) conducted the original studies in Spain, South America, Asia and Africa, between 1985 and 1997. The IARC analysis[1] looked only at women who were HPV-positive.

The results showed that women with HPV, who used oral contraceptives for less than five years, had no increase in risk of squamous-cell cervical cancer, compared to women with HPV who had never used OCs. In contrast, a duration of OC use of 5-9 years was associated with an almost three-fold increase in risk, compared with never-users, and a four-fold increase for usage of 10 years or longer.  These estimates of risk were higher than those reported in most other studies.[2]  Further research is needed to determine how long these risks persist after stopping OC use.  The questionnaire used in the studies[1] did not specifically ask about type of hormonal contraceptive but from independent surveys and country usage data it is likely that the majority were taking a combined OC.

Analysis of only HPV-positive women reduces confounding

The IARC paper[1] eliminates a potential source of confounding present in earlier studies by analysing the effect of combined OC use in HPV-positive women.  It was previously difficult to assess the influence of OC use on cervical cancer risk due to possible confounding by differences in sexual behaviour and HPV infection rates that may have been associated with use of OCs.

No association was found between presence of HPV and use of OCs among the controls.[1]  This suggests that the increase in risk of cervical cancer from OCs is due to an effect on progression (from HPV infection to cancer), rather than affecting susceptibility or persistence of HPV infection.[2]

Regular cervical screening likely to offset increase in cancer risk

It is important to note that these case-control studies[1] were mostly in countries without a cervical screening programme.  The Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee (MARC) has reviewed the IARC paper[1] and believes that the increase in cervical cancer risk in long-term users of OCs found in this study would be greatly reduced by the cervical screening programme in place in New Zealand.[4]  The MARC did not recommend that women with abnormal smears should stop taking OCs.  The findings must be considered in light of the benefits of combined OCs (such as control of fertility and reduction in risk of uterine and ovarian cancer), and add further to our knowledge about the risks and benefits of hormonal contraception.  The IARC paper[1] emphasises the importance of regular cervical screening in all women with a history of sexual activity, whether on OCs or not.

Correspondence to Dr Natasha Rafter, Division of Community Health, Auckland University, Private Bag 92019, Auckland. E-mail: n.rafter@auckland.ac.nz

References

[1.] Moreno V, Bosch FX, Muñoz N, et al, for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Multicentric Cervical Cancer Study Group. Effect of oral contraceptives on risk of cervical cancer in women with human papillomavirus infection: the IARC multicentric case-control study. Lancet 2002;359:1085-1092.

[2.] Skegg DCG. Oral contraceptives, parity, and cervical cancer [Commentary]. Lancet 2002;359:1080-1081.

[3.] Galloway DA. Biology of genital human papillomaviruses. In Holmes KK, Mårdh P-A, Sparling PF et al (Eds). Sexually Transmitted Diseases 3rd Edn. 1999:McGraw Hill, USA, p335-348.

[4.] National Cervical Screening Programme. http://www.healthywomen.org.nz/ncsp/default.asp

Source: Medsafe is the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority. It is a business unit of the Ministry of Health and is the authority responsible for the regulation of therapeutic products in New Zealand.Medsafe’s mission is to enhance the health of New Zealanders by regulating medicines and medical devices to maximise safety and benefit.

Medsafe has around 60 staff operating out of two offices, with centralised administrative functions, product approval and standard setting based at the head office in Wellington.

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

Testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) may be a useful first step for cervical cancer screening in women younger than 35 years, preliminary findings indicate.

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

Pap Smear

A Pap smear is a microscopic examination of cells scraped from the cervix that is used to detect cancerous or precancerous conditions of the cervix and other medical conditions. If detected, precancerous conditions can be treated before they become malignant. Between 1975 and 2001 use of the Pap smear is credited with cutting the age adjusted cervical cancer incidence in half, from 14.8 to 7.9 cases per 100,000 women; and with reducing the age adjusted cervical cancer death rate from 5.6 to 2.7 deaths per 100,000 women (1).

In 2002 cervical cancer was the reported cause of death for 4,000 women in the United States (2).

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American Cancer Society, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists all recommend regular Pap smear screening for cervical cancer, although recommendations vary as to the frequency, timing, risk factors, and age of women to be screened (3–5).

Between 1987 and 2003 the percent of women 18 years of age and over with a Pap smear within the past 3 years increased from 74 percent to 79 percent, with increases occurring among women of all race and ethnic groups (figure 22). However, Pap smear screening rates vary considerably by race and ethnicity. In 2003 non-Hispanic black women had the highest rate of screening, 84 percent.

Both non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white women were considerably more likely to report having a recent Pap smear than Asian and Hispanic women in 2003. Screening rates for both Asian and Hispanic women increased between 1987 and 1993, but have remained fairly stable through 2003. Pap smear screening rates remained lower for Asian and Hispanic women than for non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white women. Several studies have examined barriers to cervical cancer screening for Hispanic and Asian women. Demographic and socioeconomic variables were found to be important predictors of Pap smear screening for Hispanic and Asian women, as they are for the general U.S. population (6). In addition, language and acculturation has been shown to predict Pap smear utilization among Hispanic and Asian women, with more recent immigrants and those with English language barriers, fatalistic views on cancer, and culturally-based embarrassment reporting less frequent receipt of Pap smear (7–9).

Incidence rates of cervical cancer were highest for Hispanic women and rates for black women were also higher than the average for all women (10). Despite their high Pap smear screening rates, black women had the highest death rates from cervical cancer in 1997–2001, 5.6 deaths per 100,000 women. Hispanic women also had cervical cancer death rates higher than that of non-Hispanic white and Asian women. In contrast, both the incidence rate of cervical cancer and the death rate for Asian women—who had the lowest screening level—were in line with the average rates for women of all races and ethnicities combined. The reasons for the higher death rates among black women despite their high screening rates are not fully understood. This higher mortality among black women may be in part due to diagnosis at more advanced cancer stages and lower socioeconomic status (11).

For women in whom precancerous lesions have been detected through Pap smears, the likelihood of survival is nearly 100 percent with appropriate evaluation, treatment, and followup (12).

The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) and other initiatives help low income, uninsured, and underserved women to obtain access to both screening and follow-up care for cervical cancer.

From: Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans Health, United States, 2005

1. Ries LAG, Eisner MP, Kosary CL, et al. (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975–2001. Table V-3. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD. 2004. Available at seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2001/ accessed on January 5, 2005.

When quoting from this source, use the following citation:

National Center for Health Statistics

Health, United States, 2005

With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans

Hyattsville, Maryland: 2005

Library of Congress Catalog Number 76–641496

For sale by Superintendent of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, DC 20402

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

Human papillomavirus (pronounced pap-ih-lo-ma-vye-rus) is also called HPV. It is a virus that includes more than 100 types, over 30 of which are sexually transmitted. The types of HPV that infect the genital area are known as genital HPV. Most sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives, though most will never know it because it usually has no symptoms and goes away on its own. Genital HPV types are either low-risk or high-risk types. This does not have to do with the risk of getting the infection. It is about the risk of getting cervical cancer.

How many people have HPV?

Genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women get genital HPV at some time in their lives.

What is the difference between the high-risk and low-risk types of HPV?

Both high-risk and low-risk types of genital HPV can cause changes or growths on the tissue of a woman’s cervix. The cervix is part of the uterus that opens to the vagina. Growths are usually flat and invisible. Some types of HPV can cause cervical cancer. Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. Most HPV infections do not progress to cervical cancer.

• Having high-risk HPV is not the same as having cervical cancer. Usually, these high-risk HPV types cause no health problems at all and go away on their own. Persistent high-risk HPV (infection that does not go away) is the most important risk factor for cervical cancer. The good news is that cervical cell changes can be found with regular Pap tests, and treated to prevent cervical cancer from ever developing.
• Low-risk types of HPV can cause genital warts. Warts can form weeks, months, or years after sexual contact with a person who has genital HPV. Genital warts can grow inside and around the outside of the vagina, on the vulva (“lips” or opening to the vagina) and cervix, groin and in or around the anus. In men, genital warts can grow on the penis, scrotum, thigh, groin, or in or around the anus. While very rare, genital warts can grow in the mouth or throat of a person who has had oral sex with an infected person. The size of genital warts varies and some may be so small, you can’t see them with your eyes. They can be flat and flesh-colored or look bumpy like cauliflower. They often occur in clusters or groups. They may cause itching, burning, and discomfort. It’s also possible that warts may never appear. In fact, most people with low-risk types of genital HPV never know they are infected because they don’t get warts or any other symptom.

How do women get HPV?

Genital HPV is passed by skin-to-skin and genital contact, primarily during vaginal and anal intercourse. It might also be possible to pass it during oral sex.

How do I know if I have an HPV infection?

• A Pap test can find changes on the cervix, caused by an HPV infection. To do a Pap test, your doctor will use a small brush to take cells from your cervix. It’s simple and fast and the best way to find out if your cervix is healthy.
• If you’re age 30 or older, your doctor may also do an HPV test with your Pap test. This is a DNA test that detects most of the high-risk types of HPV and is a test to help with cervical cancer screening. If you’re younger than 30 years old and have had a borderline (ASC-US) Pap test result, your doctor may give you an HPV test. This test will tell you if HPV caused the abnormal cells on your cervix.
• Another way to tell if you have an HPV infection is if you have genital warts. Genital warts can grow inside and around the outside of the vagina, on the vulva (“lips” or opening to the vagina) and cervix, groin and in or around the anus. In men, genital warts can grow on the penis, scrotum, thigh, groin, or in or around the anus. Most of the time, people who have HPV infections never know they have it.

How often should I get a Pap test?

Follow these guidelines:

• Begin getting Pap tests every one to three years if you have been sexually active or are older than age 21. Talk to your doctor about when and how often to get a Pap test.
• If you are older than 65 years and have had normal Pap tests and are not at risk for cervical cancer, you may be able to stop getting Pap tests. Talk to your doctor or nurse about what is best for you.
• If you had a total hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and cervix), you do not need to get a Pap test if the hysterectomy was done for a non-cancerous condition.

Some experts differ on how often women need Pap tests. Talk to your doctor or nurse to find out when you should begin testing, how often you should be tested, and when you can stop.

What happens if I have an abnormal test?

If your Pap test doesn’t come back as normal, your doctor may tell you that you have an “abnormal” Pap test. An abnormal result does NOT mean you have HPV or cervical cancer. There could be many other reasons for an abnormal Pap test result, such as a yeast infection, irritation, or hormone changes. If your Pap test is abnormal, your doctor may repeat the Pap test, do an HPV test, have a follow-up later, or do the following tests:

Colposcopy. A device is used to look closely at your cervix to get a better look at the abnormal areas.

Schiller test. The test involves coating the cervix with an iodine solution. Healthy cells turn brown and abnormal cells turn white or yellow.

Biopsy. A small amount of cervical tissue is removed and looked at under a microscope to figure out if abnormal cells have cancer.

Is it still possible to have HPV even if my Pap test was normal?

Yes. You can have HPV but still have a normal Pap test. Changes on your cervix may not appear right away or they may never appear. For women over the age of 30 that get an HPV test and a Pap test, a negative result on both the Pap and HPV tests means that no cervical changes or HPV was found on the cervix. This is great news, because it means there is an extremely low chance of developing cervical cancer in the next few years.

Can HPV be treated?

No. There is no treatment or cure for HPV. However, there is treatment for the changes that HPV can cause on the cervix, as well as treatment for genital warts.

What treatments are used to get rid of abnormal cells on the cervix?

If you have abnormal cells on the cervix, it is very important to follow up with your doctor. If the problem is mild, your doctor may want to closely watch your condition to see if the cells heal on their own. Or your doctor may recommend removing the abnormal tissue. These are the treatment options:

• Cryosurgery. Abnormal tissue is frozen off.
• Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). Tissue is removed using a hot wire loop.
• Laser treatment. A beam of light destroys the abnormal tissue.
• Cone biopsy. A cone-shaped sample of tissue is removed from the cervix.

After these treatments, you may have vaginal bleeding, cramping, a brownish-black discharge, or a watery discharge. Even after treatment, it is important to follow up as recommended, to make sure the abnormalities do not come back.

How are genital warts treated?

Genital warts can be treated or not treated. Some people may want warts removed if they cause itching, burning, and discomfort. Others may want to clear up visible warts. If you decide to have warts removed, do NOT use over-the counter medicines meant for other kinds of warts. There are special treatments for genital warts. Your doctor may treat genital warts by applying a chemical in the office. Or your doctor may prescribe a cream that you apply at home.

Surgery is also an option. Surgical treatments include:

• Electrocautery. An electric current is used to burn off the warts.
• Laser treatment. Light is used to destroy warts.
• Cryosurgery. Warts are frozen off.
• Cutting them out.

Even after the warts are treated, the virus (genital HPV) may remain, and warts can return. For this reason, it is not clear if treating the genital warts lowers a person’s chance of giving the virus (genital HPV) to a sex partner or not. If left untreated, genital warts may go away, remain unchanged, or increase in size or number. They will not turn into cancer. It is not fully known why low-risk HPV causes genital warts in some cases and not in others.

What about HPV in men?

HPV is just as common in men as in women. *Fortunately, HPV rarely causes serious health problems in men, with the exception of anal cancer in men who have sex with men. There is no test for HPV in men.

How do I protect myself from HPV?

HPV infection can infect male and female genital areas that are covered by a condom, as well as areas not covered by the condom. Using condoms may reduce the risk of getting genital warts and cervical cancer. But condoms may not completely protect you. The best way to protect yourself from HPV is to not have sex, or to only have sex with one uninfected partner who also only has sex with you.

If I had HPV that went away on its own, can I get it again?

Yes. There are many types of HPV, and it is possible to get HPV again.

How do I protect my partner from HPV after my warts have disappeared?

Even if you think the warts have disappeared, you may still have a wart or warts you can’t see. Even after the warts are treated, the virus, HPV, may remain. Using condoms may reduce your risk of passing on genital warts, which are caused by HPV.

How does HPV affect a pregnancy?

Women who had genital warts in the past, but no longer have them, will most likely not have any problems during pregnancy or birth. However, for women who have genital warts during pregnancy, the warts may grow, or may become larger and bleed. In rare cases, a pregnant woman can pass HPV to her baby during vaginal delivery. A baby that is exposed to HPV very rarely develops warts in the throat or voice box.

If the warts block the birth canal, a woman may need to have a cesarean-section (C-section) delivery. However, HPV infection or genital warts are not a sole reason for C-section.

How can I be sure that I don’t get cervical cancer?

Other factors, in addition to having HPV, can raise the risk of developing cervical cancer. Some of these factors are not getting Pap tests, smoking, and having a weakened immune system.

Take these steps to prevent cervical cancer:

• Get regular Pap tests. The best time to get a Pap test is between 10 and 20 days after the first day of your last period. Do not have the test done when you have your period. Don’t have sex or use douches, vaginal medicines (unless your doctor tells you to), spermicide foams, creams, or jellies two days before your Pap test. Talk to your doctor about how often to get Pap tests.
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet with delicious fruits and vegetables. In particular, carotene and vitamins C and E may reduce the risk of cervical and other cancers. Carotene is found in tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. You can get vitamin C by eating fruits, especially citrus fruits, and vegetables. The darker the color of the fruit or vegetable, the more vitamin C. Load up on oranges, green and red peppers, broccoli, papayas, and strawberries. Good sources of vitamin E include oils such as safflower and corn, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds and nuts, such as almonds, peanuts, and hazelnuts.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking can raise your risk of cervical cancer.
• Be faithful. Be faithful to your partner, meaning that you only have sex with each other and no one else.
• Protect yourself with a condom EVERY time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. HPV infection can infect male and female genital areas that are covered by a condom, as well as areas not covered by the condom. Using condoms may reduce the risk of getting genital warts and cervical cancer. But condoms may not completely protect you.

For More Information . . .

You can find out more about human papillomavirus by contacting the National Women’s Health Information Center (NWHIC) at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:

National Cancer Institute

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines for Cervical Cancer

Phone: (800) 422-6237

CDC HPV Web Site, HHS

CDC Info, HHS

Phone: (800) CDC-INFO or (800) 232-4636

CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN), NCHSTP, CDC, HHS

Phone: (800) 458-5231

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

Phone: (888) 842-6355

National Cancer Institute

Phone: (800) 4-CANCER (800-422-6237)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, HHS

Phone: (301) 496-5717

American Cancer Society

Phone: (800) ACS-2345

American Social Health Association

Phone: (877) HPV-5868

Association of Reproductive Health Professionals

Phone: (202) 466-3825

National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC)

Phone: (800) 685-5531

All material contained in the FAQs is free of copyright restrictions, and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the Department of Health and Human Services; citation of the sources is appreciated.

The human papillomavirus and genital warts FAQ was reviewed by the Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. June 2006

The National Women’s Health Information Center is Sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health and Science. The Federal Source for Women’s Health Information.

1-800-994-9662. TDD: 1-888-220-5446

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.

Cancer is a disease in which certain body cells don’t function right, divide very fast, and produce too much tissue that forms a tumor. Cervical cancer is cancer in the cervix, the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb). The uterus is the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a baby grows during a woman’s pregnancy. The cervix forms a canal that opens into the vagina (birth canal), which leads to the outside of the body.

If the Pap test finds serious changes in the cells of the cervix, the doctor will suggest more powerful tests such as a coloscopy. In this procedure, the doctor uses a tool called a colposcope to see the cells of the vagina and cervix in detail.

If there are still some concerns of precancerous cells, the doctor may use the LUMA Cervical Imaging System. The doctor uses this device right after a colposcopy. This system, recently approved by the FDA, shines a light on the cervix and looks at how different areas of the cervix respond to this light. It gives a score to tiny areas of the cervix. It then makes a color map that helps the doctor decide where to further test the tissue with a biopsy. The colors and patterns on the map help the doctor tell between healthy tissue and tissue that might be diseased.

Why should I be concerned about cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is a disease that can be very serious. However, it is a disease that you can help prevent. Cervical cancer occurs when normal cells in the cervix change into cancer cells. This normally takes several years to happen, but it can also happen in a very short period of time. The good news is that there are ways to help prevent cervical cancer. By getting regular Pap tests and pelvic exams, your health care provider can find and treat the changing cells before they turn into cancer.

Where can I learn more about cervical cancer?

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the federal government’s authority on cervical cancer. Contact them at 800-4-CANCER (800-422-6237)

For More Information…

You can also find out more about cervical cancer by contacting the National Women’s Health Information Center at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:

National Cancer Institute

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines for Cervical Cancer

Phone: (800) 422-6237

National Cancer Institute

Cancer Information Service

Phone: (800) 422-6237

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

Phone: (888)-842-6355 (select option 7)

American Cancer Society

Phone: (800)-ACS-2345

Gynecologic Cancer Foundation

Phone: (800) 444-4441

All material contained in the FAQs is free of copyright restrictions, and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the Department of Health and Human Services; citation of the sources is appreciated.

The National Women’s Health Information Center  is Sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service

©2012 An Inconvenient Woman. All Rights Reserved.