Cervical Cancer Screenings
The HPV test and the Pap test can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early.
Dell Children’s Health Plan offers a $25 gift card to women who complete their routine Cervical Cancer Screening.
*You must be a current Dell Children’s Health Plan member and between the ages of 21 and 64 to receive the $25 gift card.
*Gift cards might take three or four months to receive.
See your member handbook for details. Restrictions and limitations may apply.
Cervical cancer is one of the most detectable and treatable types of cancer, and early identification offers the best chance of a full recovery. More than 90 percent of cervical cancers today are caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus so common that more than two-thirds of sexually active women are infected with it at some point.
Because cervical cancer tends to grow so slowly, there are a number of measures that a woman can take to prevent it from spreading and becoming advanced:
- Have regular Pap smears to screen for any changes in the cells of the cervix. Cell changes in the cervix might become cervical cancer if they are not treated appropriately.
- The Pap smear is a procedure that detects any abnormal cells that might develop into cervical cancer and identifies any infection or abnormalities. It is one of the most effective cancer-screening tools available. Its use has drastically reduced cervical cancer deaths among women.
- It is recommended for women ages 21 to 64 to get pap smears at least every three years.
- Have regular HPV tests:
- The HPV test looks for the virus (human papillomavirus) that can cause cell changes in the cervix.
- It is recommended that women ages 21 to 64 get the HPV test every five years.
- Discuss the HPV vaccine and test with your provider:
- The HPV vaccine is recommended for women ages 12 to 26 as the HPV virus can lead to cervical cancer.
- The combination of HPV vaccination and cervical screening can provide the greatest protection against cervical cancer.
- The HPV vaccination reduces the risk of developing cancers caused by HPV at sites other than the cervix.
- Use condoms regularly to protect yourself from getting HPV.
- The only exclusions for Cervical Cancer Screenings are complete vaginal or radical hysterectomy or the absence of the cervix.
In addition to infection with the HPV virus, factors that increase the risk for cervical cancer include:
- Having first sexual intercourse at an early age
- Having many sexual partners
- Giving birth to three or more children
- Smoking cigarettes (this produces chemicals that can damage cervical cells)
- Using oral contraceptives
- Being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS
Women without HPV infection or any of these other risk factors rarely develop cervical cancer.
