Cervical Cancer Screening

Last updated on June 10th, 2022 at 06:50 pm

Covid-19 may be the virus everyone’s been talking about the last two years, but this Cervical Screening Awareness Week (20^th June–26^th June 2022) Protect Line is drawing attention to another virus that is unfortunately leading to the deaths of 850+ women every year in the United Kingdom [1].

HPV is a virus which is mainly transmitted through skin-on-skin or sexual contact with either a man or a woman. There are more than 100 types of HPV and most are harmless, however, around 12 types of HPV are considered high risk for cancer of the cervix. Two of these types (HPV 16 and HPV 18) cause about 7 out of 10 (70%) Cervical Cancer cases [2]. Currently, girls and boys aged 12-13 in England are routinely offered the HPV vaccine which can help protect against Cervical Cancer later in life.

Cervical Cancer often doesn’t develop symptoms, so women are often blissfully unaware they have it. If you do have symptoms, though, the most common is vaginal bleeding, which occurs during or after sex, in between periods, or new bleeding after you have been through the menopause. Speak to a GP if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

The NHS recommends the best way to protect yourself against Cervical Cancer is through the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. Women between the age of 25 and 64 will be invited, once every 3-5 years, to have a small sample of cells taken from the cervix, which is checked under a microscope for abnormalities. It is important you attend these screenings as according to Cancer Research UK, 99.8% of Cervical Cancer cases are preventable and 51.2% of women diagnosed will survive their disease for 10 years or more. [3].

Click here to visit the NHS website for more information on Cervical Cancer

Cervical Cancer: Life Insurance & Critical Illness Cover

All standard life insurance plans will pay-out for deaths from Cervical Cancer, providing you fully disclose your medical history on the application, you weren’t diagnosed before the policy or if you were diagnosed before the policy; it was specified in your medical records when you took out the policy.

Some Critical Illness Cover Policies will pay-out for Cervical Cancer but this mostly depends what stage of treatment you require. Usually, more advanced cases of Cervical Cancer are more likely to be accepted for a claim, compared to earlier forms of the condition. Stages 1 to 2 of Cervical Cancer are usually treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Stages 3 and 4 are more serious as the cancer has spread and could also require surgery, targeted drugs or symptom control.

If you’ve had Cervical Cancer previously and are interested in life insurance, then it’s a good idea to use a professional broker, such as Protect Line, who can search the market for a specialist insurance company which will offer you a suitable policy based on your personal medical history.

Get Yourself Protected

Get a quote for Life Insurance and/or Critical Illness from Protect Line.

Protection plans with no investment element will have no cash-in value at any time and will cease at the end of the policy. If premiums are not maintained, then cover will lapse.

Critical illness plans may not cover all definitions of a critical illness. The definitions vary between product providers and will be described in the Key Features and Policy Document if you go ahead with a plan.

Sources of Data Include:

[1] Cancer Research UK: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/cervical-cancer#:~:text=There%20are%20around%20850%20cervical,in%20the%20UK%20(2018).

[2] Cancer Research UK: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cervical-cancer/risks-causes

[3] Cancer Research UK: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/cervical-cancer