In case you get diagnosed with cancer, it is just natural to wonder about what could have caused the cancer of the cervix. Not even the doctors can always explain why some women get affected by it and others don’t.There have been certain studies conducted regarding cervix cancer and these have found that there are some risk factors that increase the risk of cancer.

Causes of cervix cancer

HPV infection is one of the main causes. HPV is group of viruses that can affect the cervix. An HPV infection that doesn’t go away could cause cancer in case of some women. In almost all of the cases the cancer of the cervix has been caused by HPV.

The truth behind HPV infections is that they are quite common and they can be passed from person to person through sexual intercourse. The majority of adults have been affected by the infection at some point of their lives, but usually the infection clears up on its own.

Some of the HPV infections could cause changes to the cells of the cervix. In case the changes are found early, the cancer can be prevented through removing or killing the affected cells before they can turn into cancerous cells. In order to avoid cervix cancer there are certain vaccines for women between the ages 9 and 26 that offer protection against two types of HPV.

Another reason for which women might get cancer of the cervix is the lack of Pap tests. With the help of this test it is easier for the doctor to find the abnormal cells. If they find them they can remove or kill them and so the cancer can be prevented.

Believe it or not, smoking has an effect on the health of women in this case as well. If a woman has been infected by HPV smoking cigarettes increases the risk of having cervix cancer.

The immune system is known to be very important for the organism because this is the natural defense system. In case it is weakened by HIV or by taking drugs that suppress the immune system the chances of being affected by cancer of the cervix increase.

Just as in cases of other illnesses, cancer is also more likely to occur in case of those women who had numerous different sexual partners in the past. In case a woman has sex with a man who had numerous different sexual partners in the past has greater chances of getting cancer. In both cases the likelihood of getting cervix cancer increases because it is more likely for the woman to be affected by HPV.

Birth control pills are a great invention and help women a lot, but it is said that in case you use them for a long period of time, for more than 5 years, it could increase your chances of getting cancer of the cervix in case you have HPV infection. Nonetheless the chances decrease considerably in case the woman stops using the pills.