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Health & Fitness >
Health
Your Body, Your Cervical Smear, Your
Responsibility!
by L.T. Wright
Do you dread that most personal of check-ups, the Cervical Smear?
It is no secret for most women; it is one of the most feared
routine checks they will go through. There is always the temptation
to put it off, but please think again before postponing that
appointment!
It may not be a pleasant experience, but it is a necessary one and
it could just mean the difference between life-and-death to many
women. Detecting abnormal cells as soon as possible, greatly
improves the chances of early treatment. Not all cell changes mean
they are of the cancerous type, but only a smear test will
determine this.
Abnormal cells can take up to 5 years to turn cancerous in some
cases, but if left undetected, the results can be devastating.
Receiving Laser treatment early enough, improves the chances of
abnormal cells becoming healthy once again and every possibility
they will stay that way.
It is too easy to ignore attending for a smear test if you do not
feel any pain or discomfort. That does not mean that everything
must be all right and presume there is no need for testing. When
problems do become obvious, it is usually because it has gone too
far and is much more difficult to cure, if at all. It is sad that
so many women are still dying of this problem, especially since
there are so many opportunities to have checks done nowadays.
However unpleasant smear tests may be, they are never going to be
as unpleasant as the outcome if left untreated.
If you have Daughters, encourage them to attend for regular
testing, especially if they have been sexually active from a young
age. First smear testing begins around 19 years old and normally
carried out every three years after that.
No woman should ever presume that it would not happen to her. To
put it bluntly, cancer is a killer, it does not discriminate
between old or young, race, or social class, all women are at risk
and regular smear tests can reduce the chances of getting cervical
cancer. It is far better to have ten minutes of unpleasantness than
a lifetime of treatment. Or worse still, no life at all.
Appointments are booked through your regular General Practitioners
surgery, health clinic, or family planning services.
Most women want to look after and care for their families, but to
do this it is important they take care of their own health needs
first. By staying fit and healthy, they are far better equipped to
care for others in the long term.
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