January 21st to 28th is Cervical Cancer Prevention week, in January Support Staffordshire are highlighting work with the LGBTQ community, Community Officer Michelle Williams is sharing some useful information.
Cervical cancer awareness is important for the LGBTQ+ community because some people are misinformed about the risks and screening needs for cervical cancer:
- Misconceptions Some people believe that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women are not at risk of cervical cancer, or that they don’t need to be screened if they don’t have sex with men. However, LGB women have an increased risk of cervical cancer compared to heterosexual women.
- Screening gap Up to 50,000 LGB women have never been screened for cervical cancer because of these misconceptions.
- Screening for all Anyone with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 64 should consider getting screened for cervical cancer, regardless of their sexual orientation. This includes transgender men and non-binary people.
- HPV The majority of cervical cancers are caused by a long-lasting infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Nearly everyone who is sexually active will get infected with HPV at some point.
Some ways to raise awareness about cervical cancer include:
- Speaking to local colleges
- Setting up an information booth at local hospitals, schools, or health fairs
- Partnering with other local groups, such as cancer networks
- Getting local hospitals and healthcare providers involved
- Cancer Facts for Lesbian and Bisexual Women1 Feb 2024 — People who have been vaccinated against HPV should still follow the screening recommendations for their age group.
Cervical screening
If you are lesbian you may have been advised that you don’t need screening. However, all individuals who have a cervix aged 25 to 64 should consider going for regular cervical screening tests. If you are a transgender (trans) man or non-binary person and have a cervix, you should have screening too.
Read more on this subject on the Macmillan Cancer website here.
Michelle Williams (she/her)
Community Officer – Core20Plus5 & Healthy Communities SW
