Condoms help protect you from cervical cancer

In the Philippines and in the rest of the world, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer, second only to cancer of the breast. Cervical cancer though is the deadlier among the two with only 2 or 3 surviving from the disease for every 4 that survives breast cancer.

It is estimated that a woman dies from cancer of the cervix every two minutes. In the United States alone, more than 11,000 cases of cervical cancer is expected to be diagnosed this year, of these almost 4,000 is predicted to be fatal. Half of the global total of cervical cancer cases is found in Asia with around 266,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Here in the Philippines, it is estimated that that almost 70,000 women have cervical cancer with 7,000 acquiring the disease every year.

The leading cause of cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus or HPV which is also one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted infection in the world. The most easily recognizable signs of having a genital HPV infection are genital warts, sometimes called condylomata acuminata or venereal warts. It is possible though to have HPV and not have genital warts.

There are more than 100 types of HPV, most of which are harmless. Of all the types of HPV, around 30 are transmitted through sexual contact and may be classified as either high or low risk. High-risk types of HPV may cause abnormal Pap smear results and could lead to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis.

Many women suffering from cervical cancer may not show any symptoms at first but pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding may develop later. You may have HPV for a long time and not show signs of any having any disease. This is because cancer cells in the cervix take several years to develop. Women who have had sex soon after they had their first menstruation, who had several sexual partners, are smokers or are regularly exposed to secondary smoke, have five children or more and have weak immune systems are susceptible to acquiring cervical cancer. The most dreadful fact about cervical cancer though is that it doesn’t have any cure: prevention is your only protection against cervical cancer.

The good news about cervical cancer is that it is highly preventable. According to recent studies (CITE SOURCE OF STUDIES), the use of correct and consistent use of condoms demonstrated a strong protection against low and high risk types of HPV infection among women. This is because condoms effectively prevent the exchange of sperm and body fluids between partners. The uses of condoms have also shown effectiveness in the prevention of transmission of other STIs including HIV/AIDS. Using condoms is also an effective family planning method that protects against unplanned pregnancies. There are many condoms available such as TRUST Classic Condoms from the TRUST Family Program.

Cervical cancer is a dreaded disease, but you can protect yourself from it if you practice safe and responsible sex. If you are sexually active and do not plan to have a child yet: use condoms. Do not wait until you get older before starting to think about your future.