Diagnosis and treatment: If you have any of the following, see your doctor:
- If your partner(s) have told you they have HPV or genital warts;
- If you have itching and bleeding in the genital area;
- If you feel abnormal bumps in the genital area or around the anus.
Warts are usually diagnosed by a physician or midwife by examining the appearance of the lesion.
In cervical cancer, cells gradually change, becoming cancer cells over time. If we detect cell changes in the early stages, we can prevent the disease from developing into cancer. For this reason, it is recommended that women after the age of 30 be regularly screened for cervical cancer once every few years. The recommended test for cervical cancer is Pap smear. In this test, the doctor or midwife takes samples from the cells of the cervical region and sends them to the laboratory. Additional tests are done if Pap smear results are suspected to be cancer.
HPV Vaccine: There is a good vaccine for HPV. This vaccine is very effective for the types of HPV that cause cancer. The best age for vaccination for girls is 9 to 14 years, but those who have not received the vaccine are recommended to do so up to the age of 26 years. The vaccine is injected as three separate doses. The second dose is administered one to two months after the first dose, and the third dose six months after the first dose.