Cervical Cancer Symptoms

What are the typical cervical cancer symptoms? It is one of those daunting online searches to set out on, because you may be going through the terrible period of psychologically intense fear that often accompanies having had unusual physical experiences and events that could be possible symptoms of major illness.

There are a number of typical symptoms that you might experience that could feasibly be indicative that all is not quite right with your cervix. But it is important to realize that more often than not such symptoms are usually caused by more minor ailments that can be treated and/or cured quite easily.

If you discover that the things you have been experiencing are precisely the same as typical symptoms of cervical cancer then the very first thing you must do is arrange to see your Medical Doctor or General Practitioner and ask for a referral to the gynaecological specialist at your nearest Hospital.

As with any cancerous illness the sooner you get a clear diagnosis the sooner you can embark on an appropriate course of treatment or therapy. But this is another 'big subject' about which I will write later. For just what is considered appropriate treatment by conventional medical establishment may not necessarily be the best way to go for you, as an individual. It is vital -- should therapy be needed that you have all the relevant information at your fingertips, so that you can make a fully informed decision.

What is certain is that we are living in an interesting period with respect to views about treating cancer of any form. It is certainly my opinion that if you are unfortunate enough to become one of the 1-in-3 people who will suffer cancer in their lifetime, according to recent statistics. Then you must equip yourself with as understanding of your illness that allows you to make the wisest choice of treatment.

Do not allow your natural fears to cause you to abdicate your responsibility for making your own decisions about your body. But for now this article simply aims to deal with providing a summary of the sort of symptoms that can occur as a pre-cursor to, or result of the formation of cancer of the cervix.

Bleeding:

Most women know their own bodies rather well! Naturally, you become accustomed to the periodicity (length of time) of your own monthly cycle. You will also know if it is common for you to bleed heavily, bleed intermittently, or bleed very lightly during the occasion of your menstruation.

One common symptom associated with cervical cancer is the occurrence of bleeding at times other than during your normal menstrual cycle. If you notice bleeding from the vagina at an unusual time, it could be indicative of a number of things so do not rush to suspect cancer. You should however bear in mind that it is one possible symptom of cancer of the cervix.

So if you experience bleeding between your periods; or after or during sex; or at any time when you have already experienced menopause; be sure to make a note of the occurrence for reporting to your Doctor and/or specialist.

Discomfort During Sex:

Whilst unusual bleeding during sex is one thing, maybe you have not bled,but suddenly begin to experience unusual discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse. Assuming you have not been unusually 'athletic', 'violent' or 'passionate' in the process of making love then, once again, unusual pain in the uterus, vagina or associated areas should be noted and mentioned at that important date with your medical practitioner.

Once again, such pain can be indicative of many different possible diagnoses, so please do not rush to the most fearful conclusions. However, to make a calm and collected note of the problem for taking the issue further at an early opportunity.

Vaginal Discharge:

Some women also begin to create an unusual discharge. Once again discharge can accompany any number of minor ailments and infections. So this is yetpossible another symptom of cervical cancer that is shared with numerous other ailments. These typical symptoms may also occur singularly, or in combination, both as an indicator of a variety of infections as well as the relatively remote possibility that they might be cervical cancer symptoms.

Abnormal Cervical Smear:

Of course, the most typical potential cervical cancer symptom for most women, is probably receiving the news that there seem to be abnormal cells present in the results of a recent smear test. Once again, in the majority of cases a further examination and test will usually result in the explanation being something quite straightforward. Sometimes the test may have been contaminated, or perhaps another infection could have marred the results. Sometimes the problem may turn out to be benign, but better treated and cleared up rather than left.

However, there are always some abnormal smear results that are indeed indicative of the appearance of abnormal cells at the site of the cervix where the smear swab was taken. In some instances this can be symptoms of pre-cancerous stages that need to be urgently dealt with. Today, such problems can frequently be treated by realtively routine 'laser' surgery. Whilst this sounds worse than it is it really only consists of cauterizing (burning) small areas that seem to host the abnormal cells, and is not something to get overly stressed about.

The over-arching message is, as far as smear tests go, is please do make sure that you get a smear test at regular intervals throughout your adult life. For many women this has proven a vital 'early warning system' that has enabled them to be diagnosed and treated soon enough to achieve an excellent prognosis and experience no further cervical cancer symptoms.

Remember:

In another hub page I will detail the options for treatment of cervical cancer you might elect to try -- should it transpire that the symptoms you are suffering actually turn out to be those associated with the illness. To reiterate, if you are unfortunate enough to receive a positive diagnosis after seeking appropriate further investigation of the symptoms of cervical cancer you have experienced, please try and remain as calm as possible; do not give in to the understandable fearful reaction; recognize that there are a variety of approaches that could help you recover very well from your illness -- but most of all be sure to consider all options, arm yourself with comprehensive knowledge, and do not be rushed into using highly toxic conventional therapies without at least learning about alternatives.

Additional Resources:

If you have receieved some official confirmation that your cervical cancer symptoms are indicative of an established growth or tumour, and you cannot wait for a further hub page, I can recommend two resources that you might wish to look at. You can acquire some excellent free information as well as the results of some interesting in depth research that would take you many months to undertake on your own by taking a look at the following:

Alternative Cancer Therapy Report 1: http://www.gonando.com/alternative-cancer-treatment.html

Alternative Cancer Therapy Report 2: http://www.gonando.com/alternative-cancer-treatments.html