21st January 2025
As part of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, this week we're talking all about HPV. You may have heard of HPV already, particularly if you or your children have had the vaccination, but may not know much about it. HPV is very common. Most HPV infections do not cause any problems and are cleared by your body within 2 years. You don't have to have sexual contact with a lot of people to get HPV, you can get HPV the first time you have sex. HPV is tested for during a cervical screening. When the nurse rotates the soft brush around the cervix, cells are collected which are then tested for HPV. If your result is HPV negative, you'll be invited back routinely. If your result is positive, you'll be invited back for another screening in a year. If your result is positive and you have abnormal cell changes, you'll be invited for a colposcopy (a closer look at your cervix). All children in Year 8 are offered the HPV vaccination, which protects against the types of HPV that cause most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer, as well as some other cancers. You can get this vaccination from a sexual health clinic in some circumstances. You can also get a catch up vaccination from your GP if you are a female under 25, or a male born after 1st September 2006.
