Any type of cancer is bad news, but cervical cancer comes with it additional consequences that many women find heartbreaking. Cervical cancer can determine your ability to conceive a child, which is why it’s important to regularly be screened and tested for cervical cancer. A Pap smear is used to screen for cervical cancer in combination with a pelvic exam, which may test for human papillomavirus (or HPV), a sexually transmitted infection that may cause cervical cancer.

This article will discuss cervical cancer treatments and ways you can help lower your risk of developing cervical cancer:

1. Screening
The first step you should take to prevent cervical cancer is to undergo regular cervical cancer screening. There are often two different methods for this. A Pap test and an HPV DNA test. In the first instance, cervical cells are collected by your doctor and then tested to determine their health. If something is abnormal, then you may be given an HPV DNA test next. For those who were also subjected to HPV, then you’ll need the DNA test to ensure that the virus isn’t causing your cells to turn cancerous. With these regular tests performed, you will know immediately if you need to take action to fight against cancer.

2. HPV vaccine
One preventative step that you can take to help reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer is to be given the HPV vaccine. This is typically best administered when you are younger. With the HPV vaccine, you will be unable to develop HPV later in life. Because HPV can cause cervical cancer, this is a vaccine that all women should consider having.

3. Surgery
If after your cervical cancer screening is finished and the results come back positive for cervical cancer, there are a few cervical cancer treatments to consider. One is surgery. There are two different types of surgery to consider. A simple hysterectomy where only the cervix and uterus are removed, or a radical hysterectomy where the cervix, lymph nodes, parts of the vagina, and uterus are removed. The latter is best used for serious cases of cancer.

4. Radiation
For many cancer warriors, the first option is usually radiation. Radiation therapy involves the process of high beams of energy being directed into the body to kill cancer cells. This therapy can be performed either on the outside of your body, inside of your body, or both.

5. Chemotherapy
One treatment option that is sometimes used alongside radiation therapy is chemotherapy. In this treatment, certain medications are injected into your body to kill cancer cells. The worse your cancer becomes, the higher doses you will likely receive. It is also typically used with radiation therapy because it has been shown to enhance the radioactive properties and make the energy more efficient in killing cancer cells.