Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
You may not experience any cervical cancer symptoms — early cervical cancer generally produces no signs or symptoms. This is why regular screening is so important. As the cancer progresses, the following signs and symptoms of more advanced cervical cancer may appear:
- Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause
- Watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor
- Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse
When to see a doctor
If you experience any unusual bleeding between periods or pain during intercourse, make an appointment with your doctor.
Talk to your doctor about when to begin screening for cervical cancer, how often the screening needs to be done and when do you no longer need to be screened. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that girls have their first visit with an obstetrician-gynecologist between ages 13 and 15 to discuss sexual activity and ways to prevent sexually transmitted infections, including HPV.
- Warren JB, et al. Cervical cancer screening and updated Pap guidelines. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2009;36:131.
- Molpus KL, et al. Gynecologic cancers. In: Goldman L, et al., eds. Goldman: Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135557788-7/837587224/1492/770.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50214-7_9477. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Zell JA, et al. Cancer prevention, screening and early detection. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135557788-9/837588846/1709/31.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06694-8..50030-0_657. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- How is cervical cancer diagnosed? American Cancer Society. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- What is cervical cancer? American Cancer Society. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Holschneider CH, et al. Invasive cervical cancer: Management of early stage disease (FIGO IA, IB1, nonbulky IIA) and special circumstances. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Shepherd JH. Conservative surgery for carcinoma of the cervix. Clinical Oncology. 2008;20:395.
- Cervical cancer. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/pdf/cervical_facts.pdf. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Holschneider CH. Invasive cervical cancer: Epidemiology, clinical features, and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Cervical cancer. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/cervical/Patient/page2. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Detailed guide: Cervical cancer treatment options by stage. American Cancer Society. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Holschneider CH, et al. Invasive cervical cancer: Management of stages IB2, bulky IIA, and locally advanced disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- The emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis. American Cancer Society. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Pap test. National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/pap-test.cfm. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- HPV vaccine information for young women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine-young-women.htm. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Your first gynecologic visit. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp150.cfm?printerFriendly=yes. Accessed April 30, 2009.
- Moynihan TJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 12, 2009.
- Cervical cytology screening. Washington, D.C.: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/documents/PB109_Cervical_Cytology_Screening.pdf. Accessed Nov. 20, 2009.
