Lady M @ Fullerton
All ladies, whether young or old, should deserve to live and eat cake. But, for some of them, they are grappling with the unforeseen difficulties in their lives. It’s not by choice but by a virus that invades us human species. This virus called human papillomavirus (HPV) comes in 130 different types but only 15 of these cause cancer. One of which is cervical cancer. In fact, cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent cancer affecting women today.
Green Tea Mille Crepe
While you are still able to live healthily and happily on earth, live purposefully and embrace the freedom of being able to do what you want – indulging in sinful treats, travelling to Maldives for a dive and being able to live with the love of your life. But what happens if something devastating happens in your life? One of the myths about cervical cancer is the belief that cervical cancer is not common and it can never happen to normal women like us. Ladies, we are all at risk of contracting this cancer the moment we lose our virginity.
HPV infection is a silent killer. Individuals do not know that they are infected and may unknowingly spread the virus to others. Symptoms don’t appear till the infection gets worsened. By then, you might have reached the point of no return which is why regular screening and prevention is important.
It’s never too late to go for a pap smear test to detect any changes in the cells of the cervix which may develop into cancer later. Singapore Cancer society offers free pap smear test for female Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents above the age of 25 years.
Another prevention method is vaccination that would help prevent certain HPV infection and reduce the risk of developing cervical pre-cancers and cervical cancer. However, the vaccination should be done prior to sexual debut. As Singaporeans, we could use up to $300 from our Medisave accounts to pay for the HPV vaccine. The vaccination, which comprises of three shots of the vaccine injected over a period of six months, costs between $450 to $600 in total. The prices of the cervical vaccination varies across the different clinics too.
I’ve yet to do the vaccination but will probably get it done soon so that when I could get myself protected from this pervasive cancer and pass on this important message to other women.
Protect to tell you loved ones so that they could stay healthy and live to enjoy the ‘sweetness’ of life.
Protect to tell.
Disclaimer: “Protect to Tell – Cervical Cancer Awareness” on 12th April 2014 Saturday was held as a lunch session, organised and sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Pte Ltd. I was not paid for participating in the Event. All personal views expressed here are entirely my own.”
