Why You Might Get Cervical Cancer

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Cervical cancer is still an unknown entity. Doctors and researchers are uncertain about what causes it or what it stems from. So, all women are, to a certain degree, at risk for cervical cancer. However, certain factors have been zeroed in on as possibly causing or increasing a woman’s chances of developing cervical cancer.
Women who have started having sex at a young age may be more vulnerable to cervical cancer.

This could be because the developing cells in a young woman’s cervix are delicate–unlike an older woman’s cervical cells, which are likely to be more mature. So it is more possible that they will be damaged by the slight scraping caused by recurrent intercourse.

The exact link between cigarette smoking and cervical cancer has not been found. There are certain chemicals in cigarettes and cigarette smoke that have been identified in the tissues of the cervix of women who smoke. Researchers believe that these chemicals may affect cervical cells and damage their ability to ward off infection, as well as make them more susceptible to irregular development. Linking the two factors above we can say that young women who smoke and have sex often double the risk of developing cervical cancer.

The link between sexually transmitted diseases or STDs, as they are called, and cervical cancer has yet to be established. But STDs are alleged to increase risk on the whole. For that matter, the association between HIV and cervical cancer is strong enough that women who have the virus are now urged to get a Pap smear test every six months. Women who have many partners have a greater chance of becoming infected with an STD. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable, especially for the human papilloma virus (HPV) and herpes. A few types of HPV cause cervical cancer. Also, a woman with only one partner can still be at risk for STDs if her partner has had many other partners.

The risk of cervical cancer increases as a woman grows older. Women who have reached menopause think they no longer need to have a Pap test when, in fact, cervical cancer in older women tends to be more developed. Race also plays a part in the development of cervical cancer. It is not, however, hereditary and may not pass from mother to daughter.