January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

This is Cervical Health Awareness Month: Get Screened at Your Local Planned Parenthood

Cervical Cancer Caused by Most Common STI, Yet Most Preventable Form of Cancer

COLUMBUS, OH — January is Cervical Health Awareness Month — a good time to check in with your health care provider to schedule a cervical cancer screening. Anyone with a cervix can get cervical cancer and prevention through early detection is key. Every day, 35 women across the U.S. are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer, and many hundreds more are diagnosed with precursors that could lead to it. While cervical cancer is often caused by one of the country’s most common sexually transmitted infections (STI) — the human papillomavirus (HPV) — it is also one of the most preventable forms of cancer.  

Of the over 13,000 women in the U.S. annually diagnosed with cervical cancer, including over 400 in Ohio, more than half have either never been screened or have not been screened in the past five years. Last year, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio health centers performed more than 3,500 pap tests and over 128,000 STI tests. In most cases, HPV is harmless but high-risk HPV sometimes leads to cervical cancer. Thankfully, as many as 93 percent of cervical cancers could be prevented by screening and HPV vaccination, services that Planned Parenthood proudly provides.

Statement from Adarsh E. Krishen, MD, MMM, FAAFP, Chief Medical Officer, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio:

“Routine pap and HPV screenings, like the ones we provide at Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, save the lives of thousands of women in the United States and around the world. Last year, our clinicians administered nearly 15,000 HPV vaccinations. These vaccinations are a critical step in prevention by protecting against the two types of HPV that cause 70 percent of all cervical cancers. 

“There are easy non-invasive preventive measures that can save your life— if you have access to them. Unfortunately, not all women do. Women of color, women living in poverty, and women living in rural communities often bear the brunt of health disparities. A lack of adequate insurance coverage leads to late-stage diagnosis and higher death rates from cervical cancer. Every person who has a cervix could be at risk for cervical cancer, and no one should have to die from this preventable and treatable disease.”

Planned Parenthood knows firsthand how important cervical cancer screenings are, and health centers across Ohio are here to help patients get the information and care they need to stay healthy.

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About Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. The mission of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio is to protect, promote and provide empowered health care for generations of women, men, and families across Ohio. PPGOH serves nearly 65,000 patients annually throughout Ohio including metropolitan areas in Toledo, Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Mansfield, Cleveland, Columbus, and Athens. www.ppgoh.org