{"id":1900,"date":"2025-01-16T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/?p=1900"},"modified":"2025-01-16T13:54:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T13:54:12","slug":"cervical-cancer-awareness-month-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/2025\/01\/16\/cervical-cancer-awareness-month-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Cervical Cancer Awareness Month 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cervical Cancer Awareness Month 2025: Protecting Your Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. It\u2019s a time to talk about cervical cancer, its risks, and how to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Cervical Cancer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cervical cancer starts in the cervix, the lower part of the womb. Nearly all cases (99.8%) are caused by a virus called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/human-papilloma-virus-hpv\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/human-papilloma-virus-hpv\/\">HPV (human papillomavirus)<\/a>. Anyone with a cervix can get cervical cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How common is it?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>About 3,200 women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, leading to around 850 deaths. It mainly affects those aged 30 to 45.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the symptoms?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cervical cancer may not cause symptoms in its early stages. This is why regular screening is so important. When symptoms do appear, they can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Bleeding between periods, after sex, or after menopause.<\/li><li>Changes in vaginal discharge.<\/li><li>Pain during sex.<\/li><li>Pain in the lower tummy or pelvis.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you notice any of these symptoms, speak to your GP. Do not wait until your next screening appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can You Prevent Cervical Cancer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news is that cervical cancer is preventable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, 99.8% of cases are preventable, and the NHS aims to eradicate cervical cancer by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Screening and vaccination are two key ways to protect yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cervical Screening (Smear Test)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cervical screening checks for HPV and abnormal cells in the cervix. It helps find problems early, often before they turn into cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Screening is for women and anyone with a cervix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll get your first invitation from the NHS before your 25th birthday, and then every three years until age 49. Then it&#8217;s every five years until you are 64.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do you need to do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The NHS sends invitations automatically. Make sure your contact details are up to date on your health record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trans men who are registered with their GP as male may not be automatically invited to screenings, so speak to your practice to make an appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Remember, screening is for people who are generally fit and well. If you have any of the symptoms above, see a GP immediately.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">HPV Vaccine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/vaccinations\/hpv-vaccine\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/vaccinations\/hpv-vaccine\/\">HPV vaccine<\/a> protects against the types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The vaccine is offered to boys and girls aged 12 to 13 in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you missed it, you can get it up to age 25 through a catch-up programme. The vaccine is very effective. It has already reduced HPV-related cancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Can You Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Book your screening<\/strong> when you\u2019re due. It could save your life.<\/li><li><strong>Get vaccinated<\/strong> if you or your child are eligible.<\/li><li><strong>Talk about it.<\/strong> Share this information with friends and family.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Cervical cancer can be stopped in its tracks. We can all help protect our health by staying informed and taking action. Let\u2019s make Cervical Care Awareness Month 2025 count.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. It\u2019s a time to talk about cervical cancer, its risks, and how to prevent it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[130,152,311],"class_list":["post-1900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-cervical-screening","tag-womens-health","tag-cervical-cancer"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-29 02:17:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1900"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1912,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1900\/revisions\/1912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-pcn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}