How to keep your cervix healthy: Cervical Health Awareness Month Special

January is considered Cervical Health Awareness Month and with a staggering number of young women falling prey to cervical cancer, it’s only imperative we understand how to take care of our cervix the right way. The mouth of the uterus is referred to as the cervix. The cervix and vagina produce normal discharge which comprises of mucus, dead cells and some bacteria. Normal healthy discharge is colourless or white, has no odour and is not itchy. It helps in moistening the vagina and in lubrication.

The amount and consistency changes in every woman’s body in response to the varying hormones. Any alterations from this in terms of volume, colour, odour or itchiness could suggest infection with yeast, bacteria, or parasites. Use of chemicals (as in washes) or allergies to condoms can cause irritation. These disturb the delicate balance maintained in the vaginal ecosystem. Non-infectious causes could include the use of tampons or unclean sex toys that are left behind for long periods or even a deficiency of hormones (after menopause) that decreases the resistance to infection.

Dr Gayathri Karthik Nagesh, HOD & Consultant - Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road spoke to WION about the need to keep the cervix healthy and suggested tips to maintain good cervical health.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Some of the most easy to follow steps are:

• Wash the outside and dab dry from front to back.
• Avoid the use of chemicals for douching.
• Avoid prolonged use of tight-fitting clothes.
• Annual checks with the gynaecologist.

While we all fret at the thought of visiting a doctor, it’s not so bad always. Every woman should get at least a full body health checkup once a year including visiting a gynaecologist to ensure all body parts are working fine and need no external attention. Even more so in India as according to GLOBOCAN (Global Cancer Observatory) statistics, a quarter of the world’s cervical cancer patients hail from India. But the good news is, that cervical cancers are preventable.

Cervical Health Awareness Month! Understanding HPV vaccination

The question is how? The expert suggests:

Screening tests:

Regular screening with the Pap smear test is an excellent preventive method. It is a simple and painless test performed in the outpatient clinic. The cervix is visualised with a small instrument and a small brush or wooden spatula is just scraped on the cervix and sent to the lab. It takes just a few minutes to perform and the reports can tell if it is normal, pre-malignant or if cancer cells are there. Self-testing kits are also available, but not freely available in India.

Most cervical cancers seem to result from long-standing papilloma virus infections.

Vaccination:

Since most cervical cancers are associated with papilloma virus infections, they are amenable to being neutralised by suitable vaccines, which are now available and all women between 15 and 45 years of age are recommended to take them. Two doses are recommended for adolescents before sexual exposure while others need to take three doses- 2 and 6 months after the first dose. There are practically no side effects.

Practice safe sex:

The usage of condoms goes a long way in preventing sexually transmitted infections including the papilloma virus.