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Most women have heard of cancer of the cervix. It is one of the reasons you are pressured so much to see your doctor once a year and have a pap smear done. Cervical cancer is a very serious disease that all women should be aware of and take measures to prevent. It is the second leading type of cancer found in women today. However, if you have a routine exam yearly then it greatly reduces the risk of you having this disease. It helps to reduce the risk by allowing your doctor to find and treat the cancer before it has time to spread and turn into invasive cancer. So what causes cancer of the cervix?

Cervical cancer is when cancer cells develop in the lining of a woman's cervix. The cervix is the lower part of womb or uterus. African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic are in the high risk category for this disease. It is also very common in middle age women and older. It does take time for cancer of the cervix to develop which is why early screening is important. When cancer develops normal cells begin to deform and change into cancer cells. They go through a process when the cells are in a precancerous stage and if not treated it changes into cancer. Flat but scaly surface cells line the cervix and this is the most common place that invasive cancer of the cervix develops.

Although the cause of cancer of the cervix is not known there are certain factors that increase the risk of developing this type of cancer. The sexually transmitted disease called human papillomavirus or HPV for short is highly associated with invasive cancer of the cervix. Other factors that increase your chances of developing cancer of the cervix include a history of sexual transmitted diseases, having multiple partners and having sex when very young. Women who smoke double their risk of developing cancer of the cervix. It is very important for a woman to have regular routine exams to help find this condition early so they can receive treatment and prevent invasive cancer of the cervix from developing.

The beginning stages of cancer of the cervix normally do not have any warning signs. In fact, you may feel perfectly fine. The main way to detect this cancer in its early stages is by the annual routine exams. This test will show if precancerous cells are developing. As the cancer progresses you may develop signs such as a vaginal discharge that is yellow and has a noticeable smell. Abnormal vaginal bleeding may occur and you may experience lower back pain, pain during sex and painful urination. If cancer of the cervix is not treated then it will spread to other organs in the surrounding areas. If left untreated to long it can become life threaten and be too late to receive treatment of any value. Once the cancer spreads to vital organs there is not much that can be done therefore, it is imperative that all women receive regular monthly exams.