How Can I Protect Myself and My Daughters from HPV/Cervical Cancer?
I was recently approached by MomCentral to chat about the importance of digene HPV testing. As the mother of 3 girls, I did a lot of research before I decided to have my daughters vaccinated and give them a better chance at not getting cervical cancer. I spoke with my doctor about it and he assured me that it is definitely the thing to do!
However, we have been unindated with commercials about getting your girls vaccinated and such, but there have been very few that target the most important audience - women 30 and older. Women during this time in their life, especially those with bustling careers, tend to forego yearly exams and pap smears. We have got to make sure that these women start becoming their own health advocates and get into the doctor every year, ask that they do a pap smear EVERY year. In addition, ask your doctor about the digene HPV test.
For those that do not know what the Pap Test and HPV test encompasses, here it is in short order:
- Pap Test: Samples cells taken from a womans cervix to detect abnormalities. Testing should begin at age 21
- HPV Test: Same sample is used, and it identifies women with high risk infections that can cause cervical cancer. If you doctor does not mention this test to you by the age of 30, be your own health advocate and ask him/her!
You can gain a lot of insight and information about the digene HPV test at Qiagen’s website. They discuss what HPV is, how to get tested and when, and brave survivors speak out about their experiences.
Remember, cervical cancer can easily be prevented. Its cause is known: the human papillomavirus (HPV). Today, technologies are available to test for the cancer-causing types of HPV and determine if you may be at risk. So make sure you get tested today!
“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the QIAGEN digene HPV test. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
