Cancer Risk: Understanding the Puzzle

Cervical Cancer - Step 2: Which Risk Factors May Apply To You?	email this page
In this step, you explore how to know if any of the known risk factors for cervical cancer apply to you. If you need to review the basics, check out What Are Risk Factors? and What Is Risk Exposure?

Find out more:
More about HPV

Understanding Cervical Cancer Risk Tool
Check the risk factors that apply to you to build your own list. Then go to Step 3 to learn what you can do to reduce your risk for factors in your list. After you build your list, you can print it out and take it with you to your doctor.

Cervical Cancer Risk Factor

How Will I Know?

Does This Risk Factor
Apply to Me?

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs)

If you are (or have ever been) sexually active, you are at risk for HPV. Almost all HPV that affects the cervix is spread by sex (through intimate genital-to-genital contact, including vaginal or anal intercourse, finger to genital contact, and finger to anal contact). It is rarely spread through oral sex. You may not have any symptoms. You are at higher risk of getting HPV if:

You have had more than one sex partner, or
Your sex partner(s) has had other partners.

Yes

Lack of regular Pap tests

If you do not have regular Pap tests, you are at greater risk for developing cervical cancer. Learn more about Pap tests in Step 3.

Yes

Weakened immune system

If you have HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) infection or if you take drugs that suppress the immune system, you have a higher-than-average risk of developing cervical cancer.

Yes

Age

If you are over the age of 40, you have reached the age group in which cancer of the cervix occurs most often.

Yes

Sexual history

If you have had more than one sex partner, or if your sex partner has had other partners, you are at increased risk for developing HPV infection. This infection puts you at increased risk for developing cervical cancer.

Yes

Smoking cigarettes

If you have an HPV infection and smoke cigarettes, you have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer than women with an HPV infection who do not smoke.

Yes

Using birth control pills for a long time

If you have an HPV infection and have been using birth control pills for a long time (5 or more years), you may have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer than women without an HPV infection who use birth control pills for a long time.

Yes

Having many children

If you have an HPV infection and have given birth to many children, you may have a greater risk of developing cervical cancer than women without HPV infection who give birth to many children.

Yes

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure

If your mother was given DES when she was pregnant with you, you may be at increased risk for cervical cancer. DES was given to pregnant women in the United States between about 1940 and 1971. It is no longer in use.

Yes

A Service of the National Cancer Institute