• Question: can being sexually active effect the chance of anybody getting cervical cancer. and what are your oppions on the cervical cancer jab? thanks, rosellen x

    Asked by rosellen to Gioia, Iain, Jo, Leo, Mariam on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Gioia Cherubini

      Gioia Cherubini answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Being sexually active at an early age, seems to increase the probability that you’ll get cervical cancer.

      This is what I found:
      “Women who have sex for the first time at an early age have a higher risk of cervical cancer. This may be because human papillomavirus (HPV) can more easily infect a young woman’s cervix because the cells in the cervix are still immature. HPV is an infection that can be sexually transmitted, and some types of HPV can cause cells in the cervix to become cancerous.”

      HPV is one of the biggest risk factors for developing cervical cancer. That’s why I think it’s really important that you get a cervical cancer jab to decrease the risk of infection. The jab of course won’t protect you from getting other sexually transmittable disease, for that you need to have protected sex.

    • Photo: Joanna Watson

      Joanna Watson answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Yes, being sexually active can affect the chances of getting cervical cancer. Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by a virus called HPV which is sexually transmitted.

      I think the cervical cancer jab is great and I wish that it had been available when I was your age!

      Now, here’s the preachy bit – even if someone has had the vaccine they still shouldn’t have sex without using protection. The vaccine only protects against some types of HPV (the ones that are most likely to cause cervical cancer) but it doesn’t protect against all types of HPV. There are also lots of other horrible sexually transmitted diseases, and of course the risk of getting pregnant too.

    • Photo: Mariam Orme

      Mariam Orme answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Yes, sexual activity has a lot to do with cervical cancer.

      Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called HPV (human papillomavirus). This virus is sexually transmitted, so you can only get it if you are sexually active.

      I think the cervical cancer vaccine is great – it’s a big success story in science.

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