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Your Sexual History Will Impact Your Risk
The earlier in life you become sexually active, and the more sexual partners you have, the more likely you will eventually develop cervical cancer. Contracting other sexually transmitted infections will also raise your cancer risk, especially immune deficiency diseases like HIV.
Contrary to some other reproductive cancers (like ovarian cancer), cervical cancer risk goes up if you have many children. In fact, women are encouraged to continue receiving regular Pap tests well into middle age regardless of their reproductive history, since cancer risk can stay elevated for so many years.
Resources
Foundation for Women’s Cancer (Cervical Cancer)American Cancer Society (What are the key statistics about cervical cancer?)MedicineNet (Cervical Cancer Facts)Screening for Life (Cervical Cancer Myths and Facts)Mayo Clinic (Cervical Cancer Risk Factors)Related Search Topics
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