Cervical cancer happens when some of the cells on the cervix become abnormal, then grow out of control. Abnormal cervical cells rarely cause symptoms. A person may have some of the symptoms below if those cell changes grow into cervical cancer:
- bleeding from the vagina that’s not normal (e.g., bleeding between menstrual periods, after sex, or after menopause)
- pain in the lower belly or pelvis
- pain during sex
- vaginal discharge that’s different than usual
Cervical cancer is mostly prevented by screening and follow-up care. Regular Pap tests can find abnormal cell changes in the cervix early—before they become cancerous. HPV causes almost all cases of cervical cancers in women. The HPV-9 (Gardasil) vaccine is up to 90% effective at protecting against the nine types of HPV most commonly responsible for genital warts and HPV- related cancers.