HPV Awareness and Giveaway

Please note: This review is about the HPV TEST, not the vaccine. There was some confusion about that in comments so I wanted to clarify this. Thank you!

UPDATE: THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT THE VACCINE! IT IS ABOUT THE HPV TEST. I am going to have to put the above line throughout the post, I suppose, since this is getting missed judging from the majority of comments.

As women, we know that yearly pap smears are vital for protecting our health. But did you know that now there is a test that, when combined with a pap smear, is virtually 100% accurate in identifying women at risk for cervical cancer? The HPV test is a crucial advancement because women who test positive can be monitored and treated well before cancer has a chance to develop.

Cervical cancer is the only cancer with a single-known cause-- the human papilloma virus (HPV). There are more than 100 types of the sexually transmitted infection, HPV. Of these, about 15 high-risk types are known to cause virtually all cases of cervical cancer. Two of these types (16 and 18) are believed to cause 70 percent of these cases.

Please note: This review is about the HPV TEST, not the vaccine. There was some confusion about that in comments so I wanted to clarify this. Thank you!

Unfortunately, the pap alone is not foolproof in detecting HPV...it can miss up to half the time. Seeing that about 80% of women will get one or more types of HPV by age 50, and that cervical cancer kills 288,000 women annually worldwide, it is imperative that women over 30 now make sure their doctor is doing the HPV test in conjunction with their regular pap. (Women under 30 do not need the HPV test unless their pap results are abnormal).

The test can be done at the same time as the pap, so women don’t need to do anything more than ask for it. Use of HPV testing for routine screening is recognized in guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Cancer Society and the American Medical Women’s Association and the majority of insurance companies cover the HPV test for routine screening.

Please note: This review is about the HPV TEST, not the vaccine. There was some confusion about that in comments so I wanted to clarify this. Thank you!

I myself have had the test twice now and insurance covered it both times...and fortunately I tested negative, which means I will not need another test for three more years.

To learn more about the HPV test, click the HPV test. You can also watch this YouTube video:



...and click here to watch many other stories of those who have benefited from the HPV test.

To help spread the word about HPV testing and awareness, I have a prize pack to give away to THREE winners! Please note: This review is about the HPV TEST, not the vaccine. There was some confusion about that in comments so I wanted to clarify this. Thank you! Each "Choose to Know" pack consists of:

• bracelet
• purse mirror
• lip balm
• HPV Test fact sheet
• pledge card

To enter, (Please note: This review is about the HPV TEST, not the vaccine. There was some confusion about that in comments so I wanted to clarify this. Thank you!)simply leave a comment here on this post. For a double entry, link to this post on your site and leave a separate comment here letting me know you've done so with the link to your post.

Deadline to enter is Wednesday, July 16, 11:59 P.M., EST. Winners have two weeks to claim prize from the date of notification or the prize is forfeited.

Please note: This review is about the HPV TEST, not the vaccine. There was some confusion about that in comments so I wanted to clarify this. Thank you!

Thanks for entering, and be healthy!