Symptoms of Cervical Cancer 

January was awareness month for cervical cancer; and a lot of people learnt more about this disease affecting women within the reproductive age, especially sexually active women. You can check the blog session for cervical cancer awareness article.

Today, we are talking about the symptoms of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer can have four major symptoms once the disease becomes more advanced. But in its early stages, the disease often has no symptoms. 

The symptoms those with the disease experience depend on how advanced it is. Here are the cervical cancer symptoms experts say to be aware of.

Cervical cancer is easy to detect through testing, even at the earliest stages. Your doctor can take a sample of cells from your cervix and send them to a lab for analysis, a process known as a Pap smear. The test can even identify precancers, cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if they are not treated appropriately. Unlike breast cancer where you can perform breast self examination to detect for lumps or changes in and on the breast, you cannot self examine for cervical cancer as the test can only be carried out in the laboratory. 

Cancer in the cervix develops slowly and silently. Without routine testing, you might not have a clue what's going on with your body. Symptoms only show up when the disease is quite advanced.

Are there early warning signs? 

At its earliest stages, cervical cancer usually has no symptoms at all. Although some patients come with the complaint of unusual bleeding, or until a patient comes in for a routine exam and a screening test shows cancerous or pre-cancerous cells.

The fact that cervical cancer doesn't make its presence known until its later stages means that staying on top of your regular health care is essential. Just because your cervix isn't bothering you doesn't mean that there isn't a chance something is wrong.

Symptoms of Advanced Cervical Cancer 

Some obvious symptoms of this disease are:

1. Vaginal bleeding: Blood spots or light bleeding between or following periods; menstrual bleeding that is longer and heavier than usual; bleeding after intercourse, douching, or a pelvic examination; and bleeding after menopause are all possible symptoms of cervical cancer. Although it's crucial to see your doctor if you experience bleeding in-between your period, however, bleeding does not automatically mean that you have cancer. 
2. Unusual vaginal discharge: Most time, vaginal discharge is perfectly normal. But watery, bloody vaginal discharge that is heavy and has a foul odor might be a symptom of cervical cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. The discharge might be pale, pink, or brown in color and may come between your periods or after menopause. 

3. Pelvic pain: According to expert, when cancer is advanced and has spread outside the uterus and into the pelvis or abdominal cavity, pain is often associated. But other condition outside cervical cancer can cause pelvic pain. 

4. Pain during sex:The pain might also come during sex. That's because cervical cancer can cause inflammation and damage to the cervix or surrounding vaginal tissue. 

Symptoms of more Advanced Cervical Cancer 

It is possible for cervical cancer to spread to the vagina, lymph nodes, bladder, intestines, lungs, bones, and liver. When this happens, the symptoms may be more severe depending on the tissues and organs to which the disease has spread. According to MedlinePlus, these symptoms can include:

• Back pain
• Bone pain or fractures
• Fatigue
• Leaking of urine or feces from the vagina
• Leg pain
• Loss of appetite
• Single swollen leg
• Weight loss

Remember, these symptoms are associated with other conditions such as infection, endometriosis, sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic inflammatory disease, among others. But it is essential to go for a papa smear and take the HPV vaccine to reduce your risk to having the disease. 

Source: Health