January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

For most people, when they hear about cervical cancer they immediately think of it as a woman’s health issue. While this is very true, it’s definitely a everyone issue because cervical cancer can affect your mother, sister, daughter, cousins, aunts, grandmother, great grandmother, friends, and coworkers—just about any woman connected to you.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, cervical cancer was once the leading cause of cancer death amongst women but over the last 40 years this number has decreased significantly. Why? Routine examinations of having a Pap Smear completed has saved the lives of many women to this day.

Quick facts to keep in mind:

• ALL women are at risk for cervical cancer (CDC)
• Occurs most often in women over age 30 (CDC)
• Each year, about 12,000 women are affected by it. (CDC) - About 4,220 women will die from cervical cancer (American Cancer Society as of 2012)
• In the United States alone, Hispanic women are most likely to get cervical cancer, followed by African-Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Caucasians. American Indians and Alaskan natives have the lowest risk of cervical cancer in this country. (American Cancer Society as of 2012)

To get more information about cervical cancer visits, American Cancer Society or CDC.