It's hard to imagine a 25-year-old girl diagnosed with cervical cancer, and the main reason for cancer to target her was premature sex and too many sexual partners.
Seeing this many people will definitely say:
If your private life is not in order, it is definitely easy to get cervical cancer, which can blame who!
The occurrence of cervical cancer does have a certain relationship with sexual life. Doctors have long found that nuns and nuns have a relatively low chance of cervical cancer, because cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and hpv transmission route is mainly sexual life, so once women have sex, they may be infected with HPV.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
The medical community has confirmed that persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a major factor in cervical cancer, and HPV can be transmitted through mucosal and skin-to-skin contact, including sexual activity[1]. Studies in the population found that the following five categories of women are more likely to develop HPV infection, increasing the risk of cancer:
1. Having sex too early
Data have shown that cervical cancer incidence is increased by≤ 2.53 times compared with the age of > 20 years of first sexual life and the age of first sexual life of > 20 years [2].
Younger women's lower reproductive tract development is not mature, cervical mucosa is highly sensitive to bacteria, viruses and carcinogens, premature sexual life will expose the undeveloped cervix to risk factors, stimulate the cervix, increase the risk of cervical cancer.
2. Have multiple sexual partners
The greater the number of sexual partners, the higher the risk of cervical cancer [3]. If a sexual partner has an HPV infection, it may spread through sexual life, especially if there is unclean sexual behavior, and it is more likely to be infected.
3. Vaginal delivery > twice
Patients with more than two vaginal births have a 1.9-fold higher risk of cervical cancer than those with ≤ two vaginal deliveries [4]. This is because the cervix is prone to tearing and injury during vaginal delivery, and the tearing and injury of the cervix makes the cervical epithelial cells susceptible to external pathogenic factors, and is related to the increase of sex hormones and the low immune function during pregnancy.
4. Frequent or passive smoking
The study found that carcinogens such as cotinine and nicotine were detected in the cervical mucus of smokers. Data have shown that passive smokers have a 2.38-fold increased risk of cervical cancer compared with active smokers [2]. This also reflects that smoking can largely induce cervical cancer.
5. Have a family history of tumors
There is a family history of gynecological malignancy, and the risk of cervical cancer is 1.83 times that of those without a family history of tumor [4]. Cervical cancer is genetically predisposed, so women with a family history should definitely have regular gynecological check-ups.
Although the incidence of cervical cancer is high, second only to breast cancer, but before the arrival of cervical cancer, it is not completely silent, it will send 3 kinds of "distress" signals to the body, if it can be detected early, and take preventive measures, life will not be threatened.
1. Contact bleeding
Mainly in the process of sexual life, can also appear in the gynaecological examination process or post-stool bleeding, although cervical polyps, cervicitis may also have bleeding, but for the sake of insurance, it is recommended that everyone as long as there is contact bleeding is recommended to go to the hospital for further examination.
2. Irregular vaginal bleeding
Refers to non-menstrual bleeding, or menopause for many years of elderly women, sudden vaginal bleeding, the amount of bleeding is not much and irregular, need to seek medical attention as soon as possible. There are also menopausal women who suddenly have uncontrollable bleeding, and the probability of cervical cancer increases sharply.
3. Increased vaginal discharge
Most cervical cancer patients will have varying degrees of increased vaginal secretions, mainly because of hypersecretion of cervical glands caused by cancer stimulation, typical symptoms are bloody, taomi watery vaginal discharge or a large amount of mucus, if there is a similar situation to seek medical attention in time.
Whether married or unmarried women, doctors now advocate that everyone should do regular gynecological examinations, but what examinations to do, how to do, many people are confused, so Zhimei has sorted out for everyone, just do it:
1. Gynecological B ultrasound
Ultrasound B is mainly used to observe whether there are diseases of the reproductive organs in the female pelvic cavity, such as uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, ovarian tumors, etc.
In women who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer, ultrasonography can help determine the size of the cervical mass, often requiring a combination of vaginal ultrasound and abdominal ultrasound.
From the perspective of physical examination, women without sexual life can choose abdominal ultrasound, and women with sexual life can choose negative ultrasound to improve the detection rate of disease.
2. Vaginal discharge routine
Take a small amount of vaginal discharge, which is examined by the doctor under a microscope, to determine whether there is vaginal inflammation, whether the vaginal discharge is abnormal, and also to determine the cleanliness of the vagina.
It should be noted that in order to ensure the accuracy of the examination results, the examination must avoid menstruation, and do not wash the vagina before routine screening.
3. HPV, TCT screening
Cervical cytology (TCT) in combination with HPV testing is one of the most effective and simple ways to screen for cervical lesions [5].
By collecting cells in the cervical position for detection, the cervical lesions can be preliminarily screened for.
In clinical view, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated against HPV, women who have sex should undergo a combined HPV and TCT screening once a year to prevent the occurrence of the disease.
Cervical cancer is the only malignant tumor with a clear cause and preventable, so whether there is sex life, adulthood or not, as long as the body is unwell, it is necessary to go to the hospital in time to do relevant gynecological examinations.
From HPV infection to cervical cancer is a long process, so even if you are diagnosed with HPV infection, don't be too nervous, just trust yourself to the doctor.
Here Zhimei also sincerely reminds everyone that girls must get the HPV vaccine early, no matter how much price as long as there is a seedling is good, even if it has been vaccinated, it must be screened for cervical cancer every year, and must be !!!
Review expert: Liu Haiphong | Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University
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Wang Danyang. Meta-analysis of risk factors associated with the incidence of cervical cancer in Chinese women[J], Jilin University, 2017.
LIU Huiqiang. Epidemiological characteristics and risk factors of cervical cancer in mainland China[J].Chinese Maternal and Child Health Care,2016(31):1258-1260.
Wei Linzhi. A meta-analysis of the relationship between cervical cancer incidence and three types of risk factors[J].Guangxi Medical University, 2014.
Xie Xing,Kong Beihua,Duan Tao. Obstetrics and Gynecology (9th Edition)[M].People's Medical Publishing House, 2018:301.
Gynecologic Oncology Committee of Chinese Anti-Cancer Association. Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cervical Cancer (Fourth Edition)[J]. Chinese Journal of Practical Gynecology and Obstetrics, 2018(34):613-622.
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
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