Sanitary Napkins Keep Cervical Cancer at Bay

 

 

We shush it. We hide. We ignore it. Talking about menstruation has always been difficult in India. What we don’t realise is that our silence allows illness and even death to take our women!Poor menstrual hygiene increases the risk of developing a number of illnesses including urinary tract infections, yeast infections and most importantlycervical cancer. In this article, we at Stay Sure explore cervical cancer and the role sanitary napkins play in keeping it at bay.

 

What is Cervical Cancer?

 

The big C has always kept the medical communityon its toes.Cancer is the name given to diseases that cause the cells in our body to behave erratically. Sometimes cancer cells grow uncontrollably, giving rise to tumours. Cancers are named on the basis of where they start in the body.So, as the name suggests, cervical cancer starts in the cervix.

 

Some of us may have heard of the cervix, but most may not really understand what it is.

The cervix is a tissue within the female reproductive system. It is located in the lowermost part of the uterus and connects the uterus (womb) with the vagina (birth canal). As with other types of cancer, cervical cancer occurs when cells in the cervix begin to grow uncontrollably.

 

Cervical Cancer is the second most common form of cancer amongst Indian women, the first being breast cancer. Although this cancer takes thousands of lives every year, it is highly preventable.

 

Risk Factors of Cervical Cancer

 

While the exact cause of cervical cancer is difficult to pinpoint, there are certain risk factors that aggravate it.

 

One of the biggestrisk factors of cervical cancer is exposure to the Human Papillomavirus or HPV. This is a common sexually transmitted infection. Most of the time, HPV does not have any adverse effects on the body and resolves on its own. Sometimes however, it can cause cervical cancer. HPV could affect anyone (male or female) who is sexually active.

 

Other risk factors of cervical cancer include smoking, a weak immune system (especially if one has HIV), family history, excessive use of birth control pills, giving birth to more than three children and poor menstrual hygiene practices.

 

Symptoms of Cervical Cancer

 

Without a test, cervical cancer can be difficult to identify. Many of its symptoms can be mistaken for other ailments. Some symptoms include:

 

• Vaginal bleeding (sometimes after sex. And could be mistaken for an irregular period)
• Excessively heavy periods
• Abnormal vaginal discharge (could be mistaken for a Urinary Tract Infection)
• Back, leg or pelvic pain
• Bowel issues

 

Prevention of Cervical Cancer

 

As we mentioned above, cervical cancer is one of the most preventable kinds of cancer there is. Methods of prevention include regular testing (Pap tests or HPV tests) and taking the HPV vaccination. However, a variety of socio-economic factors also contribute to the cases of cervical cancer in India.

 

To begin with, many women are hesitant to let a doctor examine their pelvic region. This mind-set rules out the possibility of doing pap-tests or a HPV test. Since early symptoms of cervical cancer are not very obvious and can be mistaken for other ailments, many women may ignore these symptoms.

 

Finances also play a part in this. Women, who live below the poverty line, rely on daily wages. Even spending a few hours to get a test done largely affects their income. Those who can afford it, end up getting tested only when the cancer is in an advanced stage, which again becomes more expensive.

 

The Role of the Sanitary Napkin

 

A large portion of India does not have access to sanitary napkins. Instead they often use what is easily available to them. From sand to cloth to leaves; anything goes. And most often these methods are extremely unhygienic and can be fatal. They expose women to cervical cancer amongst other diseases. Popularising the use of hygienic sanitary napkins can go a long way in preventing cervical cancer.

 

We mentioned above that most women are not comfortable with the regular testing methods for cervical cancer. Scientists in Maharashtra have found that menstrual blood from used sanitary napkins can be directly tested for cervical cancer. It may not be simple to implement this on a large scale at the moment, but it would help if more women were using sanitary pads.

 

At Stay Sure we believe that keeping quiet about menstruation or blindly following superstition, will only affect the health of our women.So the next time you hear someone discuss sanitary napkins, allow them to keep talking!