Almost 10 000 women in America have to struggle with cervical cancer and it is the second cause for cancer death in women. There are several risk factors you can become aware of and start the fight earlier and with greater chances of success. These risk factors include smoking, each woman's sexual history, genetics, multiple births, oral contraceptives, exposure to DES, not getting the regular Pap screening, HIV infections and, most importantly, HPV infections.
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The Human Papilloma Virus is a sexually transmitted disease that in found in 80% to 90% of the women suffering from cervical cancer. However, 80% of USA's population caries it and that means that getting the virus does not cause cervical cancer but can add to other risk factors and contribute to its development. HPV leads to precancerous conditions, lesions like dysplasia, genital warts which if untreated can lead to cervical cancer. There are over a hundred different strains of HPV and most of them are harmless. Only a couple or a little more can impact the cervix to a degree that stimulates cancer development. Unfortunately, HPV infections show no signs or symptoms in the early stages of precancerous lesions so it's very hard to detect on time. Early diagnosis is vital and dysplasia for example is 100% curable. Later on in the process, the cancer becomes more and more invasive and prognosis for survival drops exponentially throughout the stages.



The best way to act about this is to get regular Pap screenings once you become sexually active. This is the most certain way to detect and treat the cancer on time.

The HPV vaccine is also a very useful tool against HPV infection as the only other alternative is sexual abstinence. This vaccine has not to long ago been taken by 1 out of 4 girls but today 1 out of 3 girls opt for it. It is usually given to girls ages 11 and 12 and it's recommended that you take it before becoming sexually active. However, women of over 25 who have had sex are also recommended to have the vaccine.

Despite long and strenuous debates, though it deals with the delicate subject of sex so early in their daughters' lives,  mothers must admit that the vaccine is actually very safe and effective. There are no live viruses in the vaccine though it can have some side-effects like redness and soreness at the location of the vaccine, fever and even headaches. These can be easily alleviated just make sure you let your doctor know about them.



One thing you should remember before enthusiatically schedule yourself for a vaccine is that this doesn't make you carefree for life. You are still recommended and required to get an annual Pap test if you want to take all measures to protect yourself against the cancer.

Since 2006 women and young girls from New Zealand have had the chance to take the cervical cancer vaccine Gerdasil. Up to that year cervical cancer war every year diagnosed for 180 people out of which at least 60 patients died. Though controversial and disputed by many, the vaccine is perfectly natural to exist as an option for all women. For once, the costs were also realistically fixed at 100 to 300$ for the three-shot course. The
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Combined with periodical Pap screenings this vaccine has been extremely effective in combating this disease by mainly protecting against the Human Papiloma virus which accounts for 70% of cervical cancers.



The main object of controversy derives from the fact that the vaccine is primarily meant for girls under 11 as the HPV virus is sexually transmitted and the risks of becoming it begin once girls become sexually active. Parents' approval is therefore essential and the subject of their daughter's sexuality as well as the vaccine's effect on the immune system have been extensively debated on.

A lot of information has since become available on the vaccine starting with the way it acts and it purpose. The vaccine protects from four types of HPV by causing the immune system to produce its own antibodies against these types of virus. It has also been proven to be 95%-100% effective against the virus and the effect is supposed to be long lasting, for at least 5 years and some evidence even suggest that it can last for your entire life.

The way it is administered is through three injections over a six months period.

The safety of having the vaccine should be of no concern for the patience since it has been well researched and in 2007 The World Health Organization’s Global Advisory Committee of Vaccine Safety concluded that Gardasil has a good safety profile and ever since no significant reports have affected this result.

What reactions or side-effects should you expect after having the vaccine? They are actually not very different from those of other vaccines. A sore arm, swelling, redness at the injection site might occur. Less frequently, but this possible, girls might faint or vomit which is why girls are advised to sit down for 15 minutes after the vaccine. The best way to ensure the risks of fainting are kept to a minimum is to have a good breakfast before being vaccinated. Fever in the following days might also be experienced by the girls and a rash might develop at the injection site. You should also be aware of a slight risk of an allergic reaction, a very rare event however.



The chance to take this vaccine should not be underestimated and relating it to promiscuity is a great mistake. That's why New Zealand's government has developed many public campaigns to raise awarness on the subject of cervical cancer.

The discovery of this connection between HPV and cervical cancer which has lead to developing the vaccine is a Nobel awarded discovery and we should all recognize its value.

The vaccine against cervical cancer  - The vaccine against cancer of the cervix, Gardasil , Sanofi Pasteur MSD is reimbursed at 65% since July 2007: it is for girls as young as 14 years.  The vaccine protects against four strains of HPV, the 16 and 18, responsible for more than 70% of cancers of the cervix and the 6 and 11 officials, they, genital warts.
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The aim is to vaccinate 70 to 80% of girls 14 years before their first sexual intercourse to reduce by 70% the risk of cancer of the cervix and 90% of genital warts ... The vaccine may still be offered between 15 and 23 years on condition that young women have not had sexual partners, or at most.  Reimbursed by the health insurance: 165 euros per dose and three injections are necessary.

The 2 reminders should be made within 12 months after the 1st injection. They are generally recommended the 2nd month and 6th month.  The vaccine does not protect against all carcinogenic HPV, or against existing infections. The smear is essential: The remains of screening for women 25 to 65 is necessary in parallel to vaccination because the vaccine does not replace the Pap smear.

HPV virus test detects a risk of cervical dysplasia or presence of cancer in cases of permanent presence of HPV. The risk appears to be rejected for the 5 or 10 years later if the test is negative. Repeat this test every 5 years.

Screening for cervical cancer - The prevention of cervical cancer of the uterus is still primarily the detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions caused by human papillomavirus. It is based on the regular practice of a smear that by collecting cervical cells allows their analysis under the microscope.
The smear - The smear can examine the cells of the cervix under a microscope and to gather the most superficial. The sample is then spread and fixed on a glass slide. The sample is sent to a laboratory anapathologie which will search for abnormal cells.

Screening for cervical cancer of the uterus is at the age of 20/25 years. It is recommended that a smear every 3 years after 2 normal smears obtained one year apart in women with sexual activity and this from 20-25 years. But the 3-year interval recommended is too long for many specialists. A period of 2 years now seems advisable. The infection is common in women, the early sex. The risk of infection increases with age and number of partners. The use of condoms during sexual intercourse limit transmission of the virus but does not eliminate it completely from all contact, because it is present at the genital mucosa are not covered by the condom.

Cervical cancer preventive vaccination - In this instance we will take Frace’s own Garsil’s example: Different types of viruses, the family of human papillomavirus (HPV) are the cause of cervical cancer of the uterus. Today, the Pap test (Pap smear) can detect these infections, sexually transmitted in most cases remain hidden or are benign. But these infections can also develop into precancerous lesions, and if they are not treated, cancer of the cervix uteri.
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There are every year and 258 000 deaths worldwide, including 1 000 in France. Papillomaviruses present in 80% cases do not have the same carcinogenic. The most harmful is undoubtedly that of type 16 (HPV-16), implicated in 50 to 60% of cancers of the cervix. Comes second, HPV-18 which is responsible for 10% of cancers col2. Conversely, the risk of cancer among women not infected is virtually nil.

Only downside to the strategy of Pap smear screening, it involves a large number of reviews that benefit only a minority. Indeed, a maximum of 3% of women with HPV will develop cancer. Thus the development of an effective vaccine could soon lead to another prevention strategy.

A 100% protection  - On September 20, 2006, the vaccine Gardasil received its European approval for placing on the market. This vaccine protects against human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16 and 18 ,HPV 6 and 11 cause 90% of genital warts, sexually transmitted infections better known under the name of cockscomb. Several studies have measured the effectiveness of the vaccine, the principal has involved more than 12 000 women aged 16 to 26 years who were not infected by the virus.

Half received three doses of the vaccine and half received a placebo (inactive drug).After 17 months of follow-up, the first group showed no pre-cancerous lesions while they were 21 in the second group. Then, the principal investigator of the group Research on HPV at Washington University in Seattle.

No vaccinations have been discontinued because of side effects of the vaccine. Although side effects were more frequent among women who received Gardasil ™ than in those who received placebo, it was mostly a slight discomfort at the injection site. These results confirm previous studies conducted on a smaller number of women.

The first preventive vaccine against virus responsible for most cancers of the uterus is now available in France. His name Gardasil. Marketed by Sanofi Pasteur MSD, it targets the human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16 and 18, transmitted through sex and responsible to them four 70 to 84% of cancers of the cervix.

"Our recommendation would be to vaccinate young girls between 11 and 12 years to catch up for 13-26 years," said the laboratory. The vaccine has indeed its maximum effectiveness when given before the first contact with the virus. Each year, cancer of the cervix uteri kills more than 1 000 women in France. So far, only passed its prevention by screening.

The vaccine Gardasil was launched without awaiting the recommendations of the government The latter would obviously prefer that Sanofi Pasteur await the completion of negotiations on the management of vaccine before starting its marketing.

Indeed, several unknowns remain: according to DGS, "first, this vaccine only protects against certain strains of HPV that can lead to female genital cancers (80%) and secondly, even ifstudies conducted by Sanofi has shown that the vaccine prevented the appearance of histological lesions of high grade, we do not know today the term of protection granted, gold, cancers occur several years after infection.

According to the data showing that about 3% of girls in France have their first sexual intercourse before age 15, the Superior Council for Public Health of France (CHSPF) recommends the vaccination of girls aged 14 years and proposes to the 15-23 year old who have not yet had sexual intercourse or later in the year following their first report.