In the US January has been designated Cervical Health Awareness Month.  I thought I would share this with you because I am amazed at the number of readers that come to my site in search of information about their cervix.

There are posters about HPV vaccines everywhere you look it seems - in my province the HPV vaccine is given to all Grade 7 girls and you guessed it my daughter is in grade 7 this year which is the big reason I got into researching the vaccine.  Vaccination is such a personal decision and there are many people who sit on either side of the fence with very passionate views.

Here's what I discovered out during my research:
<ul>
	<li>The guidelines for PAP smears in US, Canada &amp; the UK have been changed.  (I mention these countries because it is where the majority of my readers originate).  Here are the new recommendations according to the <a title="Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care" href="http://canadiantaskforce.ca/guidelines/screening-for-cervical-cancer/" target="_blank">Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care:</a>
<ul>
	<li><strong>For women aged &lt;20 we recommend not routinely screening for cervical cancer.</strong> (<em>Strong recommendation; high quality evidence</em>)</li>
	<li><strong>For women aged 20 to 24 we recommend not routinely screening for cervical cancer.</strong> (<em>Weak recommendation; moderate quality evidence</em>)</li>
	<li><strong>For women aged 25 to 29 we recommend routine screening for cervical cancer every 3 years.</strong> (<em>Weak recommendation; moderate quality evidence</em>)</li>
	<li><strong>For women aged 30 to 69 we recommend routine screening for cervical cancer every 3 years.</strong> (<em>Strong recommendation; high quality evidence</em>)</li>
	<li><strong>For women aged ≥70 who have been adequately screened (i.e. 3 successive negative Pap tests in the last 10 years), we recommend that routine screening may cease. For women aged 70 or over who have not been adequately screened we recommend continued screening until 3 negative test results have been obtained.</strong> (<em>Weak recommendation; low quality evidence</em>)</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Cervical cancer is preventable yet sadly women are still dying from it.  The most important thing to do is get your PAP smear because cervical cancer is typically very slow developing.</li>
	<li>There are vaccines available for HPV of which two strains (#16 &amp; #18) have been implicated in some cervical cancers.</li>
	<li>The woman who lead the team that developed the vaccine, Dr. Diane Harper, has spoken out against giving it to young girls saying that it's efficacy was never tested on young developing girls under age 15.  Read about that here: <a title="CBS News - Researcher Speaks Out" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500690_162-5253431.html" target="_blank">CBS News - Researcher Speaks Out</a></li>
	<li>One of my favorite websites about women's health Women to Women</li>
	<li>You can still get cervical cancer even if you've been vaccinated.</li>
	<li>The vaccine's efficacy is approiximately 5 years - women were followed in the early studies for 6.4 years.  Here's some more info about <a title="HPV - Is a Booster Required?" href="http://www.who.int/immunization/HPV_Grad_Booster.pdf" target="_blank">whether or notthere is evidence showing a booster is required to ensure long term protection.

</a></li>
	<li>Women vaccinated still need to go for PAP smears, some experts believe that those who receive the vaccine will opt out of PAP smears which are crucial for early detection.</li>
	<li>Abnormal cervical cells can be treated when caught early with colposcopy, cryotherapy, and LEEP procedures that can help prevent cervical cancer.</li>
	<li>Invasive cervical cancer is a relatively uncommon disease in Canada due to the widespread use of screening and the diagnosis and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions. In 2006, 1,400 Canadian women were diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer; 380 women died from the disease.  Invasive cervical cancer incidence has declined from 15.4 per 100,000 in 1977 to 8.0 per 100,000 in 2006, while invasive cervical cancer mortality has declined from
4.8 per 100,000 in 1977 to 2.0 per 100,000 in 2006. (Information taken from the report "Cervical Cancer Screening in Canada - Monitoring Program Performance 2006-2008")  Read the report here: <a title="Partnership Against Cancer" href="http://www.partnershipagainstcancer.ca/wp-content/uploads/CPAC_Cervical_CS_Report_E_WEB_Final.pdf" target="_blank">Partnership Against Cancer</a>.</li>
	<li>The Canadian Women’s Health Network lists many factors which increase the likelihood of cervical cancer developing:
<ul>
	<li>unprotected sex at a young age;</li>
	<li>smoking;</li>
	<li>lowered immune system;</li>
	<li>poor nutrition and a diet low in vitamins A, folate (a B vitamin) and C, &amp; stress;</li>
	<li>not using condoms or other barrier methods of birth control;</li>
	<li>having another sexually transmitted infection like chlamydia.</li>
</ul>
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	<li></li>
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