January: Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
- Date: January 30, 2026
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among people with cervixes worldwide, but it is highly preventable through immunizations and treatable when caught early with routine screenings.1,2
What is cervical cancer?
The cervix refers to the narrow, lower part of the uterus that connects it to the vagina.3 Cervical cancer occurs when the DNA inside the cells of the cervix gets damaged, causing those cells to multiply and grow out of control, often resulting in harm to the body.4
How common is cervical cancer?
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2026, 13,490 women in the United States will be newly diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,200 women will die from it.5
What causes cervical cancer?
Infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) — a common sexually transmitted infection — is responsible for causing nearly all cervical cancers.6 While the majority of sexually active people will become infected with HPV at some point, most of those infections are benign and will go away on their own. Certain types of HPV, however, have higher risk of leading to changes in the cervical cells — such as HPV 16 and HPV 18, which are responsible for 70% of cervical cancer diagnoses worldwide.
How can we prevent cervical cancer?
There are several ways to reduce the risk of getting cervical cancer, including:4
- Practicing safe sex by using condoms and limiting the number of sexual partners.
- Getting the HPV vaccine. The current HPV vaccine protects against several high-risk types of HPV and is recommended for both boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 12, although those ages 13-26 who haven’t received or finished their vaccine series should also get it as soon as possible.7
- Getting regular Pap smears, or tests, if you have a cervix. This is a procedure where a health care provider takes cells from the cervix to look for any abnormal cells or cancers.8 Women ages 21-29 should get a Pap test every three years, while women ages 30-65 are recommended to either get a Pap test every three years, a high-risk HPV test every five years, or both a Pap test and a high-risk HPV test every five years.9
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Screening for Cervical Cancer.” CDC.gov, February 26, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/cervical-cancer/screening/index.html.
World Health Organization. “Cervical Cancer.” WHO.int, December 2, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer.
National Cancer Institute. “Cervix.” In NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms, February 2, 2011. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/cervix.
Mayo Clinic Staff. “Cervical Cancer - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, July 26, 2025. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cervical-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20352501.
American Cancer Society. “Key Statistics for Cervical Cancer.” Cancer.org, January 14, 2026. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/about/key-statistics.html.
National Cancer Institute. “Cervical Cancer Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention.” Cancer.gov, August 2, 2024. https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/causes-risk-prevention.
American Cancer Society. “HPV Vaccines.” Cancer.org, April 30, 2024. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/hpv/hpv-vaccines.html.
Cleveland Clinic. “Pap Smear.” my.ClevelandClinic.org, August 19, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/4267-pap-smear.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. “Recommendation: Cervical Cancer: Screening,” August 21, 2018. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/cervical-cancer-screening.
