Sometimes it's a burden being a woman, and cervical cancer is one reason why that's so. Cervical cancer affects 16,000 women in the United States each year, and early detection is a challenge since the disease often lacks any noticeable symptoms.

Would you suspect cervical cancer if you had some spotting or some pain in the lower abdomen, back, or legs? And these rather generic symptoms are only felt after the illness has reached an advanced stage. Unfortunately, advanced cervical cancer does not always respond to medical or surgical treatment. All in all, quite a bum disease.

But the good news is, you needn't fall prey to cervical cancer, because the treatments are many and highly effective if the disease is detected early.

Cervical cancer is most often caused by a viral infection with one of several strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Surprisingly, researchers are discovering that many cancers are associated with viral infections, so it's important to take steps to protect yourself from all sexually transmitted infections, this one included.

How do you do that? Pretty simply, but you'll have some important choices to make because some of the most effective protection strategies go counter to popular perceptions about sex and sexual satisfaction.

1. Delay becoming sexually active. The younger a woman starts having sex, the more likely she is to contract the papillomavirus and develop this cancer later on in life. And this includes not only intercourse but also touching because some STIs are passed on in this.way.
   
2. Minimize the number of sexual partners. You can't choose safe partners based on appearances. Those with the particular strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer typically don't have the obvious skin changes that some other types of HPV are known for, such as genital warts. Statistically speaking, the more sexual encounters you have, the more likely you are to get exposed to HPV, along with other STIs. Condoms are helpful but not infallible when it comes to blocking HPV transmission.
   
3. Get vaccinated for HPV, preferably before you become sexually active. Interestingly, many infections with HPV are overcome by a woman's own immune system without any help from the vaccine. And after she gets vaccinated, her immune system is then programmed to recognize and fight off HPV exposures even more efficiently, lessening her chances of developing a chronic infection and possibly developing cancer. This vaccine is approved for girls as young as age 9.
   
4. Get screened regularly by means of the good ol' Pap smear. Over the past 50 years or so, the humble Pap smear has reduced the mortality associated with cervical cancer by a whopping 70 percent. Sure, getting a Pap is a minor inconvenience - but one that's well worth the hassle if it helps you avoid a diagnosis of late-stage cancer! You should start getting Paps 3 years after starting sexual activity, or by age 21, whichever comes first, and the Pap should generally be repeated every year thereafter. Women over 30 who are in a long-term, monogamous relationship can consider spacing out their Paps to once every 3 years if they've had repeatedly normal Paps and negative HPV testing.