New year’s resolutions are popping up all over the place. Whether you make your own organized, numbered list each year or not, we can all resolve to be healthier, beyond the standard goals of eating better and exercising. January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a nationwide effort to increase awareness about HPV and cervical cancer, and the perfect opportunity for you to start the New Year right. You can do your part by increasing your own knowledge about these diseases and how to protect yourself, and spreading that knowledge to your friends and family. HPV and cervical cancer might seem like far away things that could never affect you, but they can hit all too close to home.
One Woman’s Story
Starting college is a crazy but exciting time for most of us: unpacking your life into half of a pint-sized dorm room, strategically enrolling in classes that aren’t held on Fridays, and meeting hundreds (or thousands!) of new people. So what would you do if, after your very first weekend on campus, your doctor called and diagnosed you with HPV?
This is how Joslyn Chaiprasert-Paguio’s battle with HPV and cervical cancer began. At 18, having just enrolled in her first class at the University of California, Riverside, she was visiting home and received the news that the results of her first pap smear were abnormal. “I felt faint, dropped the phone on the floor, and began to cry. My mom was nearby and picked up the phone to continue the conversation with the doctor,” Joslyn, now 27, recalls.
Because Joslyn was so young, her doctor initially recommended waiting to see if the infection would clear up on its own, but this required frequent tests and hospital visits, so Joslyn ended up moving back home midway through her freshman year and commuted to school each day for class. “I became depressed and withdrawn from my friends. I forced myself everyday to go to class and work to try to obtain some type of normalcy in my life.”
At 19, Joslyn learned that she did in fact have a strain of HPV that could develop into cervical cancer, and underwent her first LEEP procedure to remove the part of her cervix containing the infected cells. For the next couple of years, she continued the frequent doctor’s visits and regular pap smears, which, as a young adult, made dating especially difficult. “I felt ashamed of my diagnosis,” explains Joslyn. Though to this day she still doesn’t know how or who she contracted the disease from, she always remained honest about her condition. Most boys would get scared, never call again, and leave, but her husband, who she met at the end of her sophomore year of college, was different. “I decided to tell him on our second date. He was the first guy that said it didn’t matter because he wasn’t dating me because of my condition, but because he liked me.” At 21, Joslyn became engaged.
Things began to look up, and Joslyn was staying strong and feeling great, especially since her doctor felt confident enough to test every year instead of every six months. She and her husband celebrated their engagement with a joint bachelorette/bachelor party in Las Vegas, but upon arriving home, she was greeted by a missed call from her doctor. Just one month before her wedding, Joslyn received the alarming news that her strain of HPV had progressed to cervical cancer.
With this diagnosis and just the word “cancer” burning in her and her husband’s minds, they decided to wait until after their fast approaching wedding and honeymoon to undergo the second LEEP procedure. This time, Joslyn was even more nervous about the doctors being able to remove all of the infected cells, since she thought they had all been eliminated during her first procedure. About a year later, her doctor still had concerns about an area of her cervix, so yet another cone biopsy was recommended. “The first time I was young, the second time I hit rock bottom, and now the third time I didn’t know if I could pull myself back up,” Joslyn remembers.
Thankfully, her last procedure indicated that though the HPV was back, the detected strain was not cancerous. After being plagued by doctor’s appointments, tests, and medical procedures for years while simultaneously trying to be a normal college student, plan for her wedding, and enjoy life as a newlywed, Joslyn is proud to say today that she is cancer-free. Yearly pap smears are still a crucial part of her normal routine, but her medical condition doesn’t play as prominent of a role in her life. Now, she is grateful to be able to move on and enjoy the next chapter of her life to the fullest.
About HPV and Cervical Cancer
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection and an estimated 8 out of 10 women will become infected in their lifetime. There are actually over 100 types of HPV, and while the body can get rid of most infections on its own, there are certain high-risk strains of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer if left untreated. Though cervical cancer is a highly preventable disease, it has not been eliminated and still kills an estimated 4,000 women in the U.S. annually, so being aware of HPV and cervical cancer protection remains both relevant and important.
HPV can spread through any skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity, so “intercourse does not have to happen to allow transmission,” explains Dr. Yvonne Collins, a gynecologic oncologist at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Also, “every woman who dies from cervical cancer didn’t have sex necessarily with a lot of men. It only takes one partner to contract the disease.” Another common misconception is that HPV only affects women, when it reality it does also affect men and can lead to other types of genital cancers. In addition, “the most dangerous thing is that besides detection on pap smear, there are no other signs,” notes Dr. Collins. Even the high-risk cancerous strains can show no visible symptoms, so many people may not even realize they have or are spreading the disease, so learning about ways to reduce your risk of infection and monitor your health are both crucial.
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Protect Yourself
The only sure way to prevent HPV infection is to avoid sexual activity and any genital contact with another person. However, If you are not going to abstain from sex, there are several protective measures to take to decrease your risk of HPV and cervical cancer. “HPV rates are high in college age women,” according to Dr. Collins, so now is the perfect time to begin a proactive attitude toward cervical health.
Practice safe sex
Using barrier methods of birth control, such as a condom or spermicidal gels, decreases the risk of HPV infection, as well as other sexually transmitted infections.
Get an HPV vaccine
Two vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, are currently approved by the FDA to protect women against the high-risk strains of HPV that cause the majority of cervical cancers. Gardasil also protects men and women against the strains that cause most genital warts and anal cancer. The HPV vaccine is recommended for females ages 9-26 and given in three doses over six months. Check with your school’s health services to see if they offer the vaccine (many larger universities do) or talk to your doctor at home (gynecologist, pediatrician, or primary care physician) about the vaccine and when to start so you don’t miss doses while you’re at school, since following the proper timeline makes the vaccine most effective. There are certain limitations (yeast allergies, chance of pregnancy, illness) so check with your doctor to make sure the vaccine is appropriate for you.
Neither vaccine protects against all HPV strains or provides a cure for HPV though, so Dr. Collins stresses, “even when vaccinated, you have to continue to undergo routine pap smear screening.” Vaccination is a protective but not foolproof measure, so monitoring your health through regular testing should remain a top priority.
Schedule regular Pap tests and pelvic exams
Routine screening helps find abnormal cells in the cervix before cancer develops, which is important because the earlier the treatment begins, the more effective it is. You should start getting pap smears at age 21, or three years after you begin sexual activity, and test every year with a conventional pap test, or every two years with a liquid based pap test. It’s always important to follow your doctor’s specific instructions and to be consistent in your check-ups.
Joslyn recalls how, after her initial diagnosis, “I went religiously every six months on the dot to get my pap done. It felt really good to go and do that because at least I knew that, if anything, six months would go by and if the cells came back, I could catch it early in time.” In addition to Pap smears, an HPV test can diagnose the virus. An HPV test is generally conducted along with a Pap so, if found, you can take the right steps to treat precancerous cells. “If I didn’t get one, I wouldn’t have known and would never have known. I think, honestly, it did save my life.”
Be honest with your healthcare provider
Today, we have so much information available on HPV, the vaccine, and cervical cancer, from TV commercials to magazine ads to brochures lying around in the doctor’s office. It’s important that you take full advantage of that and are not afraid to voice any questions or concerns you have to your doctor. For Joslyn, the most difficult thing to deal with was not being informed. “When I was first diagnosed, it was never explained to me what HPV was, how I contracted it, and the chances of developing into cervical cancer. I remember spending hours on the Internet trying to find any information I could on HPV. Now, I am able to access support groups, medical articles, and case studies.”
“You have to be your own best advocate.”
While not every case of HPV leads to cervical cancer, and not every case of cervical cancer leads to death, HPV remains extremely common and widespread, and cervical cancer has not been eradicated. Dr. Collins emphasizes, “Cervical cancer is a highly preventable disease. Women have to take ownership of their bodies and their health. Women have to do everything they can to remain healthy. You have to be your own best advocate.”
Many cancer prevention clinical trials are currently under way to study how overall healthy lifestyle choices can lower the risks of developing cervical and other cancers, including eating fruits and vegetables, exercising, and taking certain vitamins and minerals. Smoking has been shown to increase the risk of cervical cancer, so healthy decisions may have the opposite effect. “The most important lesson I learned is to take control of my life and get informed,” reflects Joslyn. “I can’t just rely on what other people tell me. I need to take an active role in my health. I am eating healthier, running, and enjoying every minute of my life.”
Dr. Collins recommends that you “Take the Pledge” to eliminate cervical cancer, a campaign sponsored by The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation to create awareness and education programs for women about gynecologic cancers. Taking the pledge indicates you will do your part in preventing cervical cancer, and you’ll receive annual reminders about getting a gynecologic exam.
Joslyn’s final piece of advice? “Life can change in an instant, so get informed and be prepared.”
Sources
Joslyn Chaiprasert-Paguio, cervical cancer survivor and University of California, Riverside alumnus
Dr. Yvonne Collins, gynecologic oncologist at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Gynecologic Cancer Foundation
National Cervical Cancer Coalition
National Cervical Cancer Public Education Campaign
WebMD.com
Learn more about Joslyn’s story at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/HPVStories#p/a/u/2/8FTRLo4cS6k
http://www.standup2cancer.org/custom/?c=profile&id=71698