The largest percentage of women who perform the examination systematically are women before or during pregnancy. Women often perform this test for the first time in their lives (39%) – showed the results of a study conducted by the Flower of Femininity, in cooperation with the research agency IQS. Experts warn that cervical cancer affects mainly patients who do not have regular smears.
The study covered women in the so-called perinatal period, i.e. mothers of children up to 1 year of age, pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant within the next 12 months.
As among all Polish women, cytology is a very popular test and the awareness of its importance for the prevention of cervical cancer is very high (86%), but not XNUMX%.
During pregnancy, including the period of preparation for pregnancy, women are under the constant care of a doctor. This period is therefore conducive to regular examinations. This is, apart from the start of intercourse, a key time when cytology must be performed. Women often perform this test for the first time in their lives (39%). The frequency of cytology also increases at this time.
Most of the women in the study group are aware that this test should also be performed during pregnancy. Still, a large percentage of women believe that it is needed only in exceptional circumstances, or has no knowledge of it at all.
– An issue that needs to be addressed is the low percentage of women who were told by their doctor how to prepare for a Pap smear test. It is worth noting, however, that in the case of women in the perinatal period, this percentage is still much higher than among all Polish women – says Marta Rybicka, Business Unit Director at IQS, who coordinated the study.
Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women. The factor that initiates the development of this neoplasm is chronic infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) with high carcinogenic potential, sexually transmitted. It is estimated that about 60 percent. of the world’s population has been exposed to this virus. Cervical cancer precedes a pre-cancerous condition known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Down
Early symptoms of cancer include irregular menstrual bleeding (in women with regular cycles), spontaneous bleeding, heavy discharge, abdominal pain, pain during intercourse. HPV is transmitted sexually or through direct contact with the skin of an infected person. In the majority of patients, regardless of serological type, HPV infection resolves spontaneously within 6 months to 2 years, depending on the degree of disturbance of physiological immunity and the immune system’s readiness to fight the virus.