Casual Sex is a raging millennial trend! It has redefined the boundaries of a friend. Some thinks ‘sex’ is the new cool. Some feel sex is empowering. But banning casual sex is actually more than moral policing. Scientific researches have proved that Sex and Cervical Cancer are connected!

Cervical cancer is the cancer of the womb or the cervix. Several factors can cause the cells of the cervix to go abnormal and multiply to form a precancerous tumour. If left undetected it can grow to form cancer which can then spread to other parts of the body.

And of the many causatives of cervical cancer, casual sex is one! Other causative being smoking, early pregnancy, oral contraceptives and obesity. More than 3 full-term pregnancies and a diet deficit of fruits and veggies also increase the risk of cervical cancer.

But more than 80 per cent of cervical cancer cases are traced to the HPV virus, which is a sexually transmitted infection.

So, when your mom said no sex before marriage, she actually had a point!

Casual Sex and Cervical cancer

Unprotected sex, Early sex and Sex with multiple partners expose you to several risks. While mental trauma and depression are the recently identified ones, STD is a known risk. From Herpes to AIDs to HPVs, unprotected sex opens the door to many diseases.

Here are 3 shocking connection between causal sex and cervical cancer!

1. HPV and cervical cancer

The HPV virus is a well-established risk factor for cervical cancer. But there are more than 150 types of HPV virus, not all cause cancer.

Certain low-risk types of HPV can cause warts on female and male genital and anal areas. The high-risk types of HPVs are linked with:

1. Cervical cancer, cancer in the vulva, and vaginal cancer in women.
2. It can also cause penile cancer in men,
3. Cancers of the anus, mouth, and throat in both men and women.

The HPV virus is very common. And there is a fair chance that every sexually active woman would get infected with HPV virus at least once in their life. But the body’s natural mechanism takes care of it!

However, in some cases, the virus thrives and the infection persists for a long period. In such cases, it might lead to precancerous changes in the cervix.

Prevention:

Today, HPV vaccines are widely available that can prevent the infection from the HPV virus. If the virus is taken care of then it cannot lead to changes that cause cancer!

2. Early Sex and Cervical cancer

Early Pregnancy and sex at an early age, both are associated with cervical cancer. Research published in NCBI quoted, ‘early sex and early pregnancy are risk factors for cervical cancer in developing countries.’

Sexual intercourse before the age of 16 makes one more susceptible to HPV virus attack. The immature cervix during adolescence cannot fight off the persistent HPV infections. This puts them at a greater risk of cancer development.

Prevention:

The best way to prevent cervical cancer due to early sex is through sex education. Educating the young minds about the cons of early sex and pros of timely responses can prove to be a transformation!

3. Early pregnancy and cervical cancer

Teenagers who engage in sex are often unaware of the rules. They ditch the protection and fall prey to the side-effects of sex. One of which is pregnancy.

Early pregnancy is found to be a risk factor for cervical cancer. As early sex is!

Also, the use of oral contraceptives to avoid pregnancy may increase the risk of cervical cancer.

Prevention

The right way to avoid early sex and early pregnancy is through awareness. Awareness about sex and cervical cancer.

Teenagers are smart enough to make the right choice, but they need to understand their options!

Conclusion: Casual Sex and Cervical Cancer!

Casual sex is not cool. Because spending your life tied to a bed is not cool.

While prevention for cervical cancer is crucial, early diagnosis and detection are also important.

So, whether you follow your mamma’s rule or not, you must go for a cervical cancer screening regularly without a doubt!