Cervical cancer symptoms and risk factors

What are the symptoms?

Cervical cancer often has no symptoms. If there are symptoms, these can include:

• vaginal bleeding between periods, during or after sexual intercourse, or after menopause
• pelvic pain
• pain during sexual intercourse
• a change to your usual vaginal discharge (e.g. there may be more discharge, or it may have a strong or unusual smell or colour).

While these symptoms can happen for other reasons, see your general practitioner (GP) if you are worried or the symptoms are ongoing.

What are the risk factors?

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by an infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus can affect the surface of different areas of the body, such as the cervix, vagina, vulva, throat and skin.

There are more than 100 different types of HPV, including over 40 types that can infect the genitals and 14 that are known to cause cervical cancer. About 4 out of 5 people will become infected with at least one type of genital HPV at some point in their lifetime. Most people will not know they have HPV because it often doesn’t cause symptoms and usually clears quickly.

Genital HPV is usually spread during close contact with genital skin during sexual activity. This includes penetrative sex, oral sex and other forms of sexual activity (e.g. using sex toys). Using condoms or dental dams can offer some protection against HPV.

The cervical screening test is used to detect cancer-causing types of HPV, as well as any precancerous cell changes caused by the virus. There is also a vaccine that protects people from some types of HPV.

Other risk factors include:

• smoking and passive smoking – chemicals in tobacco can damage the cells of the cervix, making it harder for the body to clear the HPV infection
• using oral contraceptives (the pill) for a long time – some research has suggested that taking the pill for 5 years or more slightly increases the risk of developing cervical cancer in people with HPV
• having a weakened immune system – this includes people who have had an organ transplant as well as those with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program

This vaccination can prevent infection with HPV. The most common HPV vaccine used in Australia protects against 7 high-risk types of HPV known to cause about 90% of cervical cancers. The vaccine also offers some protection against less common cancers linked with HPV, including vaginal, vulvar, anal and some head and neck cancers.

Free vaccines are provided at school for all children aged 12–13, under the national HPV vaccination program. People who were not vaccinated at school can receive it for free from their health care provider or pharmacy until the age of 25. People aged 26 and over who have not been vaccinated can ask their doctor if they may benefit from having the vaccine.

Even if you’ve had the HPV vaccine, you still need regular screening tests. The vaccine doesn’t protect against all types of HPV. For information, visit Cancer Council's guide to the HPV vaccine.