Women Must Take Cervical Health Seriously | Opinion

As millions of Americans follow through on their New Year's resolutions to exercise more and eat better, here's another one: Take cervical health seriously.

January marks Cervical Health Awareness Month, an annual reminder that cervical cancer is a very real threat to women around the country. Each year in the U.S., nearly 12,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and about 4,000 women die from it. While that number isn't in the millions or tens of millions, late-stage cervical cancer is on the rise, with far too many people missing their screening appointments for one reason or another.

Cervical cancer is preventable and treatable, if detected early. Cervical cancer develops in a woman's cervix, which is the entrance to the uterus from the vagina. Almost all cervical cancer cases (99 percent) are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), an extremely common virus transmitted through sexual contact.

In fact, HPV is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract. Most sexually active women (and men) will be infected at some point in their lives, and some may be repeatedly infected.

Scary, right? Not necessarily. Pap smears every three years, annual check-ups, and other screenings allow women to detect cervical cancer early. And, the earlier it is detected, the more treatable cervical cancer becomes. In many ways, the "well-woman exam" is the most important health visit of the year for female patients.

There's no reason to be afraid. Cervical cancer doesn't need to be a deadly disease. Early stages typically don't involve symptoms and can be difficult to detect, but the routine pap smear is key, identifying any abnormal cells, and making treatment possible.

The HPV vaccine—available since 2006—is also crucial for prevention. Since the vaccine's introduction, rates of cervical cancer incidence have dropped significantly among vaccinated women. For instance, one study from Sweden found that, between 2006 and 2017, there was a 90 percent reduction in cervical cancer incidence for women who received the vaccine as opposed to those who didn't. HPV vaccination prevents cervical cancer.

In 2024, we can make great strides against cervical cancer. The blueprint is simple. Get tested, get vaccinated, and stay healthy.

Pap tests and HPV tests are not only simple and quick, but they are also covered by most health insurance providers. As part of North America's largest manufacturer of COVID-19 testing swabs, I can't emphasize the importance of testing enough—there is simply no excuse not to take advantage of the various tests currently available for clinical use. From Qiagen's Hybrid Capture II™ HPV test to others produced by Hologic/Gen-Probe, testing is fortunately plentiful in today's America.

The need for testing doesn't stop at cervical cancer, although it is critical. The likes of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis affect millions of Americans every year, and they too can be detected early—before they cause serious harm. While syphilis is confirmed through a blood test, both gonorrhea and chlamydia tests can be conducted with swab samples of the genitals, throat, or anus.

As we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, tests and vaccines save lives. We can take that same lesson and apply it to preventable, treatable diseases like cervical cancer, dropping mortality rates and making women's health a top priority in 2024.

"Women's health" has become a catchy headline. It is a popular buzzword, bandied about by politicians and advertisers alike. But, if we are truly serious about making women healthier in the new year, that resolution begins with cervical health this month. Talk aside, it comes down to taking action, so women can take control of their lives.

Get vaccinated, get tested, and stay healthy. What are you waiting for?

Virginia Templet serves as marketing director at Puritan Medical Products.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.