Have you booked your regular Cervical Screening Test?

About 800 to 900 Australians are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, with more than

200 losing their lives to the disease.

Australia is one of the first countries globally to offer a Cervical Screening Test as part of a national population screening program, and that work, combined with our human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program, means we are on track to be the first in the world to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem.

With the ability for even earlier detection, the Cervical Screening Test is expected to protect up to 30% more women and people with a cervix.

In 2017, a 5-yearly Cervical Screening Test was introduced, replacing the 2-yearly Pap test in Australia. The Pap test looked for cell changes in the cervix that could lead to cervical cancer, but the Cervical Screening Test looks for HPV - the cause of almost all cervical cancers - before it has the chance to develop into abnormal or cancerous cells.

There are two options for having a Cervical Screening Test. One option is to have a healthcare provider collect your sample from your cervix. The other option is to collect your own sample from your vagina.

And because the Cervical Screening Test is more effective than the Pap test at detecting and preventing cervical cancers, it is safe to be done every 5 years instead of every 2.

Even if you’ve had the HPV vaccination, if you’re a woman or person with a cervix aged 25-74 and have ever had sexual contact (of any kind, with any gender), you still need to screen for cervical cancer.

Almost all cervical cancers are preventable with early detection, so contact your healthcare provider to check if you’re due or overdue for a Cervical Screening Test – it could save your life.

If you don’t have a preferred doctor, healthdirect.gov.au can help you find a healthcare provider to book your test with.

Visit health.gov.au/ncsp for more info on the National Cervical Screening Program.

Information Source - health.gov.au/ncsp

Cervical-Screening.pdf

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