This Cervical Health Awareness Month, Get Screened at Your local Planned Parenthood

Washington, DC — January is Cervical Health Awareness Month — a good time to check in with your health care provider  to schedule a cervical cancer screening, or see if you are due for a Pap test, one of the most common forms of 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 it can be caused by one of the country’s most common sexually transmitted infections — the human papilloma virus (HPV) — cervical cancer is also one of the most preventable forms of cancer.  

Throughout Cervical Health Awareness Month, Planned Parenthood hopes to remove stigma around sexual and reproductive care with its “This Is Health Care” awareness campaign, reinforcing the fact that cancer screenings and other kinds of sexual and reproductive care are standard medical services and should not be politicized. 

Of the over 13,000 women in the U.S. annually diagnosed with cervical cancer, more than half have either never been screened or have not been screened in the past five years. Cervical cancer is caused by certain types of HPV, an STI roughly 79 million Americans have. In most cases, HPV is harmless but high-risk HPV can lead to cervical cancer. As many as 93 percent of cervical cancers can be avoided  by screening and HPV vaccination, services that Planned Parenthood proudly provides at every health center.

Still, 4,210 women die of cervical cancer each year, including a disproportionately high number of women of color, who already bear the brunt of health disparities. Black and Hispanic women, for example, are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, when their cervical cancer is much more difficult to treat. As a result, Latinas experience at nearly 40 percent higher rate of cervical cancer than non-Hispanic white women, and Black women are 41% more likely to get cervical cancer than white women.

Statement from Dr. Leana Wen, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

I am alive today because of a routine Pap test that detected my cervical cancer in its early stages. As many as 93 percent of new cases of cervical cancer can be avoided by screening and HPV vaccination, yet more than 4,000 women die from cervical cancer each year, including a disproportionately high number of women of color who already bear the brunt of health disparities. Planned Parenthood offers Pap tests at every single one of our more than 600 health centers. In 2017 alone, we provided more than 270,000 Pap tests and nearly 20,000 HPV vaccines. 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.

To read more of Dr. Wen’s personal story see here.

Standard, lifesaving care like cervical cancer screenings and HPV vaccinations are now under further attack as the Trump-Pence administration is finalizing a rule that would make it impossible for Planned Parenthood and other health centers across the nation to continue participating in Title X, the national program for affordable birth control and reproductive care. Planned Parenthood health centers serve 41 percent of the four million patients who get care through this program — that’s more than 1.6 million patients whose health care is at risk. When people can’t see their provider of choice, they delay or simply go without care.

Planned Parenthood health centers offer cancer screenings at every single one of our more than 600 health centers, and in 2017 alone, we provided more than 270,000 Pap tests and nearly 20,000 HPV vaccines.  

Planned Parenthood’s current guidelines for cervical cancer screenings are:

• Initial Pap test at age 21;
• Pap test every three years at ages 21–29;
• Pap or HPV test every three years, or both Pap and HPV tests every five years at ages  30–64; and
• More frequent screenings or screenings past age 65 for certain people with higher risk, as determined by their doctor or nurse.

Planned Parenthood has one of the most rigorous medical standards and accreditation processes in the country. Planned Parenthood’s guidelines are updated regularly to reflect new evidence and current research, incorporating guidance from trusted medical organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.  

To find out more or to schedule a screening contact your local Planned Parenthood health at www.plannedparenthood.org.  

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.