Fit and Well Idaho: Cervical Cancer awareness month

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — January is cervical cancer month bringing awareness to a disease that impacts more than 14,000 women per year.

Cervical Cancer is caused by HPV, or Human Papilloma Virus.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, but the HPV vaccine does help prevent it.

The HPV vaccine is given to kids when they are around 11 or 12 years old, before they have the chance to be exposed to the virus.

Cervical cancer doesn’t usually show any signs, which is why getting screened regularly is important.

“With cervical cancer, that’s why screening is so important, you’re not going to have a lot of signs with early detectable, we start at age 21 and we stop screening at age 65,” said Rauli Perry, a nurse practitioner with St. Luke’s.

There won’t usually be any signs that you have cervical cancer until it is in a very advanced state, which is why yearly screening is vital.

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