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Women's Health

Cervical cancer

01/02/2007

Question:

I saw on tv that cervital cancer was caused by HPV and that it is an STD. I have not had sex so does that mean that there is no possiblity that I could have cervical cancer? I would appreaciate more information of this topic. Thanks

Answer:

Although we don’t know ALL of the causes of cervical cancer, some forms of HPV, an STD, are strongly associated with cervical cancer. So is smoking. HPV is so strongly associated with cervical cancer that we now consider it a “cause”. 

If you have not had sex, and you are 26 years old or younger, you may want to consider having the vaccine used to prevent HPV. HPV is VERY common, and women do not always know that they have it.  In addition, it is a virus, so once you have it, you have it forever; there is no cure.  That’s why the vaccine is so important: if you get the vaccine BEFORE you have the STD, you won’t get the STD.

Hope that helps.

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Response by:

The Ohio State University Linda A Bernhard, PhD, RN
Associate Professor
Adult Health and Illness
College of Nursing
The Ohio State University
Linda A Bernhard, PhD, RN