A visit to the gynecologist’s office might not be the most exciting thing on your calendar this summer, but taking the time to get aPapanicolaou test(or, pap smear) is important—the simple screening can be lifesaving.
How HPV is Diagnosed
Actress, model, and Grammy award-winning singer Ciara is using her platform to advocate for a new campaign with Black Women Health Imperative, Hologic, and Project Health Equality called “Cerving Confidence.” It’s meant to encourage women of color to check in with a gynecologist and see if they might be due for a pap smear or HPV test.
Black women and Hispanic women have higher rates of cervical cancer than other racial and ethnic groups. For Black women, 8 out of every 100,000 will get cervical cancer, and for Hispanic women it’s 9 out of every 100,000. The rate is 7 out of every 100,000 for white women.
It’s not only incidence rates—Black women are also less likely to survive a cervical cancer diagnosis than white women,in part because they’re often diagnosed too late.
Becausesymptoms don’t typicallyappear until the later stages of cervical cancer, it’s important to visit the gynecologist and get tested regularly so that any abnormalities can be addressed before the disease progresses. The earlier the cancer is detected,the more likely those diagnosed will recoverand achieve remission.
Ciara sat down withJessica Shepherd, MD, the chief medical officer at Verywell and board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, to share her own experience with getting screened for cervical cancer, and to encourage other women of color to do the same. For Ciara, it’s all about changing the narrative so that well-woman check-ups aren’t seen as daunting or overwhelming, but rather as an act of self-love and self-care. And, making frequent gynecologist appointments also sets a great example for the next generation of young people to become comfortable advocating for their own health.
The Cerving Confidence campaign is encouraging women to upload photos to social media with the hashtag Cerving Confidence to spread the word and normalize getting cervical cancer tests when you need them.
Watch the interview here.
11:38Ciara & Dr. Shepherd Talk Importance of Annual Well-Women Visits
11:38
Ciara & Dr. Shepherd Talk Importance of Annual Well-Women Visits
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Cervical Cancer Coalition.Cervical Cancer Screening: Pap and HPV Tests.
Razzaghi H, Saraiya M, Thompson TD, Henley SJ, Viens L, Wilson R.Five-year relative survival for human papillomavirus-associated cancer sites.Cancer. 124(1):203-211.
Weragoda J, Azuero A, Badiga S, Bell WC, Matthews R, Piyathilake C.An examination of racial differences in 5-year survival of cervical cancer among African American and white American women in the southeastern US from 1985 to 2010.Cancer Medicine. 5(8):2126-2135. doi:10.1002/cam4.765
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