Hey, sis.
Let's have a quick yarn
about cervical screening.
If you've ever thought
I'm not sure what it is,
you're not alone.
Cervical screening is
a simple health check
for people
who have a cervix.
The cervix sits
at the bottom of the womb.
It's not something
most of us think about
and that's okay.
The Cervical Screening Test
checks for a virus called
human papillomavirus, HPV.
HPV is really common.
Around four out of five
people will have it
at some point.
Most of the time
you won't even know
and your body
will clear it on its own.
But sometimes if HPV
stays in the body
for a long time,
it can cause
changes in the cervix,
and some of those changes
can turn into cancer.
You can feel completely
fine and still have changes.
That's why screening isn't
about symptoms.
It's about checking in early
before anything feels wrong.
You might be thinking
I had a HPV vaccine.
I'm all good.
The vaccine protects
against lots of common
types of HPV
that can cause
cervical cancer,
which is great,
but it doesn't protect
against every type.
Screening is
still important.
Or maybe.
I'm done having babies,
so I don't need
screening anymore.
Even if you're done
having babies,
it's still important
to screen.
It's about looking
after your health
at every stage of your life.
So if you're a woman,
sister-girl or brother-boy
with a cervix
aged 25 to 74,
you can book your
cervical screening
wherever you usually
go for your health care.
It's about checking in early
so you can stay strong
for years ahead.