SALEM, Va. – Every year, 13,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer, according to the CDC.
To educate people, January is recognized as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
Doctors use the month to talk about the importance of getting a pap smear and getting vaccinated against HPV.
LewisGale OBGYN Dr. Eric Swisher says getting a pap smear regularly is the best way women can protect themselves from cervical cancer.
But “regularly” is defined differently for each patient.
“So when patients ask, ‘How long should I go before my next pap smear?’ It depends. Probably three years to five years for most patients but one year for anyone who has a suspicious history or carries the virus,” said Swisher.
Swisher says some of the biggest risk factors for cervical cancer include women who smoke, women with multiple sexual partners and women who were previously diagnosed with HPV.