By Vickie Burke
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. The West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program, a program dedicated to helping low-income, uninsured or underinsured women receive free or low-cost Pap tests, encourages women to schedule their routine Pap test during January or to talk with their doctors about when it is right for them to be screened.
Screening guidelines published in December 2009 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggest that Pap tests should begin at age 21, regardless of a woman's sexual history, and that a woman should have a Pap test every two years, instead of every year. ACOG also recommends that a woman 30 years and older who has had no history of cervical cancer and has had three normal Pap tests in a row can be screened every two to three years.
Despite the move from annual Pap screenings, it is important to remember the significant role that the Pap test has played in reducing cervical cancer deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, the number of cervical cancer deaths decreased 65 percent between 1955 and 1992 and continues to decline each year due to increasing use of the Pap test. The Pap test can detect changes in the cervix before cancer develops and it can detect cancer in its earliest stages when more treatment options are available. Cervical cancer is nearly 100 percent curable when detected early.
The change in Pap test guidelines is not meant to cause confusion and unnecessary stress but can do so unintentionally. Therefore, the WVBCCSP will continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (visit www.wvdhhr.org/bccsp for screening protocol). Coverage will continue as usual with more emphasis placed on having women talk to their health-care provider regarding their individual need for cervical screening.
In addition to routine screening per the recommendations, knowing and understanding risk factors can reduce your risk of developing cervical cancer. The most important risk factor associated with cervical cancer is infection with the Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, which is a group of common, sexually transmitted viruses. Other risk factors include smoking, having first intercourse at a young age or having multiple sexual partners.
The WVBCCSP works with more than 300 providers statewide to ensure program- eligible women receive the services they need. An uninsured woman with a family of four can have a total household income of $44,700 and be eligible for the WVBCCSP, so don't hesitate; contact one of the program's providers today to find out if you qualify and talk to them about what you can do to prevent cervical cancer. Women should visit our website at www.wvdhhr.org/bccsp or call the WVBCCSP at 1-800-642-8522 for more information about the program or to find a provider in their area.
Don't wait. Schedule your Pap test today.
(Vickie Burke is an Education Coordinator with the West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program. For more information, call 304-558-5388 or 1-800-642-8522.)