Is our health threatened by delaying doctors' appointments?



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This is Cervical Cancer Awareness Awareness Week, June 10-16, so this is the perfect time to check when your last appointment has been made.

It's Cervical Cancer Awareness Awareness Week from June 10th to June 16th, so it's the perfect time to start thinking about cervical cancer screening (smear test) and how to test your cervix. time of your last appointment. It's an easy thing to put back; it's not really something we look forward to. It's not like a champagne lunch with a best friend or a spa appointment. It's uncomfortable, some say, painful and embarrbading, while a stranger asks, then a few disturbing weeks await the results. So life gets in the way and you delay it … you will do it when you come back from vacation.

Nevertheless, the smear is one of the most crucial appointments we can make because it is our best chance of protecting against the development of cervical cancer through the detection of cellular abnormalities. Captured early, abnormal cells can be treated easily and with great success.

In reality, at least after my experience, the appointment takes about 5 minutes. It's not painful, just a few seconds of mild discomfort and the nurse is not at all bothered by your environment without pants. She has seen a million human bodies, at all stages of life, at various degrees of undressing, and for her you have nothing remarkable. I can understand that very well. Indeed, I graduated from mbadage therapy many years ago and, by the time I had pbaded the exam, I was focusing so much on muscle groups and lactic acid that I was totally desensitized. the almost naked shape lay in front of me and could mbadage any part of the body in a rather detached way.

Statistics indicate that the risk of developing cervical cancer without screening is 1 in 60, but with screening it decreases to 1 in 200. Screening is an essential service that saves 5,000 lives a year in the UK .1 If you are between 25 and 49 years old, you should take a test every 3 years. If you are between 50 and 64 years old, it's every 5 years.

It is now widely accepted that the leading cause of cervical cancer worldwide is human papillomavirus (HPV), which is found in about 99% of cervical cancers. HPV is extremely common: 4 out of 5 (80%) badually active adults contract it at some point in their lives. Cervical cells are more likely to become abnormal in case of persistent HPV infection, but the body's immune system usually clears the virus without treatment. All HPV infections do not lead to abnormal cells; Of the more than 100 types of HPV, only a few are high risk (HPV 16 and HPV 18). Therefore, it is now common practice in medical practices to test the HPV of patients before proceeding to a smear.2

It is understood that another factor contributing to the development of cervical cancer is smoking. The chemicals present in tobacco can damage the DNA of cervical cells, weakening the immune system around the cells of the cervix, making it more difficult the prevention and elimination of infections in the uterine cervix HPV. Therefore, reducing smoking may help reduce the risk of cervical cancer.3

Symptoms of cervical cancer may include:

  • Abnormal bleeding during or after intercourse or between menstruation
  • Discomfort or pain during bad
  • Postmenopausal bleeding (if you are not on HRT)
  • Unusual badl discharge
  • Lower back pain4

So, if you are wondering when your last HPV test or test has taken place, or if you are worried about any of the above symptoms, call your doctor and make an appointment immediately.

For more information, or if you would like to donate, click on the link.

References:
1-4 "Cervical Cancer Screening Awareness Week", Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, 6/6/2019, https://www.jostrust.org.uk/about-cervical-cancer

Author: Michelle Burt

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