Cervical Health

Cervical cancer is a disease in which the cells of the cervix start to grow abnormally, forming tumours. The earlier cervical cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that connects to the vagina. Seventy percent (70%) of all cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

What is HPV (human papillomavirus)?

‎HPV is a virus easily spread skin-to-skin during genital, anal, or oral sex (penetration is not required). HPV is known as the “common cold” of sexually transmitted infections as approximately 75% of sexually active Canadians will have at least one HPV infection in their lifetime. HPV can cause a variety of cancers, no matter your sex, gender or sexual orientation. Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by infection with HPV.

HPV infection does not usually involve any symptoms and you can pass the virus on to someone else without knowing it. HPV usually goes away without treatment. For some people, however, HPV will not clear on its own, and cervical cells infected with HPV become cancerous over time. These changes happen slowly – it usually takes 15-20 years for HPV to develop into cervical cancer.

Anyone with a cervix who has ever been sexually active (skin contact or intercourse) is at risk of transmitting HPV, but the risk increases if you:

started having sexual activity at a young age (under 18 years);
have a history of other sexually transmitted infections;
have weakened immunity;
smoke;
do not use condoms.

In addition to cervix cancer, HPV can lead to vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer, anal cancer, and genital warts.

Globally, cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer for people with a cervix. In Canada, it is also the 4th most frequent cancer among people with a cervix between 15 and 44 years of age. In BC, about 200 people are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year.

You can prevent cervical cancer and/or increase its detection by having regular cervix screening tests and by being vaccinated against HPV.

Who needs to have a regular cervix screening test?

Anyone with a cervix, including women, Two-Spirit, transgender and non-binary people, between the ages of 25 and 69, should screen for cervical cancer every 3 to 5 years.

Cervical Cancer and 2SLGBTQIA+ people

Studies show that *2SLGBTQIA+ people are less likely to go to the doctor because of fear of, and actual discrimination and mistreatment, and hence may face a higher risk of undetected cancers, including cervical cancer.

Being screened for cancer is an important part of regular medical care for everyone because the earlier cancer is found, the better outcome and treatment options will be.

Visit: Screening in 2SLGBTQ+ communities to find out if you should be screened.

^{*2SLGBTQIA+ stands for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and additional people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities.}

Screening can help:

Find out if you are at risk for developing abnormal cells in your cervix.
Find cancer at an early stage before it causes symptoms and when there are more treatment options available.

You can now choose how you’d like to screen for cervical cancer:

Cervix screening - at home or in the doctor's office

Cervix screening looks for high-risk strains of HPV that may lead to abnormal cells in the cervix. Cervix screening is an alternative to the Pap for routine screening.

Cervix screening can be done:

By your provider in their office or clinic
Or you can self-screen at home using a cervix self-screening kit

To order a free cervix self-screening kit, fill out an online kit request form or call 1-877-702-6566.

Pap test

A Pap (Papanicolaou) test looks for abnormal cells in the cervix and/or HPV.

If you prefer to continue using a Pap test for your cervical screening, contact your health care provider or a medical clinic.

Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 and speak with a Health Service Navigator about how to find a family doctor accepting new patients, accessing walk-in clinics, or finding a nurse practitioner near you.
Use the clinic locator to find a clinic in your community that offers Pap tests. Contact the clinic directly to confirm availability for Pap testing.

Visit BC Cancer: Get Screened for more information about self screening and how cervix screening helps prevent cancer.

Get vaccinated against HPV

The best way to protect yourself against HPV is to be immunized. The HPV9 vaccine protects against 9 types of HPV:

7 types of HPV that cause between 90% of cervical cancers and several other cancers such as cancers of the vagina, vulva, anus, penis, mouth and throat.
2 types of HPV that cause about 90% of genital warts.
The HPV vaccine can protect you against two high risk HPV types that cause 70 out of 100 cases of cervical cancer.

Who should be vaccinated against HPV?

HPV vaccine is recommended and free for:

Grade 6 students
Children and teens who missed the vaccine in grade 6
Men 19-26 years who:

Have sex with men (including those not yet sexually active and/ or who are questioning their sexual orientation)
Are street involved

Two-Spirit, transgender, and non-binary people 19-26 years of age
People 9-26 years living with HIV

HPV vaccine is recommended but not free for:

Women 19-45 years
Men 19-26 years
Men 27 years and older who have sex with men
Two-Spirit, transgender, and non-binary people 27-45 years

The HPV vaccine also protects people from genital warts (the most common sexually transmitted infection), some head and neck cancers, and penile (penis) cancer.

Watch the video HPV vaccine for more information.

For other videos in the series on HPV, visit Immune BC.

Provincial Health Services Authority