EArly sex increases Cervical cancer risk

‘Early sex increases cervical cancer risk’
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Mike Iroezindu, a medical practitioner, has said that exposure to sex before the age of 18 increases the risk of cervical cancer.

“Having sex before the age of 18 increases the risk of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which is the causative factor for cervical cancer,” he said. “Immature cells seem to be susceptible to it.” He said that cervical cancer was among the most common cancers that affect a woman’s reproductive organ. “When a woman is exposed to HPV, her immune typically prevents the virus from doing harm, however, in a small group of women, the virus survives for years before it eventually converts some cells on the surface of the cervix into cancer cells,” he said.

According to him, cancer in general begins when healthy cells acquire a genetic mutation that turns them into abnormal cells. “There are two types of the cervical cancer; one is squamous cell carcinoma that begins in the thin, flat cells that line the bottom of the cervix,” he said. “This type accounts for 80 to 90 per cent of cervical cancer in women. There is also the Adeno carcinomas that occur in the glandular cells that line the upper portion of the cervix, this type makes up to 10 to 20 per cent of cervical cancer.”

He said that early cervical cancer generally produced no signs and symptoms, and advocated for regular pap screening. “The pap test detects abnormal cell growth or formation in the cervix,” he said.

He said that as the cancer developed, some of the symptoms that might be experienced include vaginal bleeding after intercourse. Other symptoms, he said, include watery and bloody vaginal discharge that might be heavy and have a foul smell. In some cases, he said, pelvic pain as well as pain during intercourse could also be experienced. Diamond Cancer Campaign