Basildon family: our mission to raise awareness of cervical cancer

2:00pm Monday 15th August 2011

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WATCHING someone you love waste away from a killer disease is awful to endure.

but it’s something Alex Waters had to do.

Alex is still grieving for her step-daughter, who died of cervical cancer, aged just 24.

Adela Waters was a single mum, so her death, in June, also left two young children without a mother.

one of the hardest things for Alex, 42, to come to terms with is that Adela’s death could have been prevented if she had been diagnosed early enough.

now, Alex, from Basildon, is trying to achieve something positive from the tragedy.

she is working to raise awarness of cervical cancer and is encouraging all young women to get checked out if they feel things aren’t quite right.

she explained: “Adela knew something was wrong. she was bleeding really badly and kept going to the GP. but she just kept being told it was nothing to worry about.

“Eventually, in October last year, she was screened for cancer and told the news it was most likely terminal.

“It was too late by that time. Adela was only 24 with two children and her whole life ahead of her.”

Adela, from Surrey, began a course of chemo-therapy, determined to fight the cancer, but her frail body couldn’t take it and she died six months later.

Alex said: “I’m desperate to raise awareness to cervical cancer and how women need to be aware of the symptoms.

“Cases like Jade Goody have helped put cervival cancer in the spotlight, but more needs to be done.

“At the moment, women are screened from 25 onwards for cervical cancer. I would like to see this age bracket reduced or at least see more doctors sending younger patients for screening if they feel something is wrong – not just dismissing them.”

When Big Brother celebrity Jade Goody died in March 2009 of cervical cancer she was 27, and like Adela, a mum of two.

Jade’s death helped make the world sit up and take notice that young women die of cancer too.

After her death, a record number of women asked for smear tests and a campaign began to persuade NHS health chiefs to introduce screening for women bet-ween the ages of 20 and 24.

However, experts say the cervix of women of that age is changing and there is a risk their cells may look abnormal when they are not, exposing them to the trauma of further tests and biopsies.

but Alex says women need to be listened to. she added: “After watching someone I loved so much die, I want to get across to women that if you think something is wrong, go to the GP and get it checked out.

“The earlier screening takes place, the more chance there is of saving a person. If we can save even one life through sharing Adela’s story, then her death has not been in vain.”

to show her commitment, Alex, a staff nurse at Brockfield House mental health hospital, in Runwell, will be having her hair shaved off for the charity Cancer Research, on August 26.

the fundraising evening, which will also be a celebration of Adela’s life, will take place at the former Runwell Hospital Social Club. Alex’s husband Carl, 46 – Adela’s father – will also be taking part, with a sponsored leg wax.

as well as getting sponsored to have her locks cut off, Alex’s long hair will be put to good use.

she said: “I heard about a charity called the little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for youngsters who lose their hair to chemotherapy, so they will be getting mine.”

Alex, who has seven children between her and Carl, added: “My dad has also recently been diagnosed with leukemia, but it looks as though he is beating it.

“I feel cancer has affected so many people I love and I need to do something to fight it.

“I would just urge women out there who may be having abnormal symptoms, to trust their instincts. It might save their life.”

to donate, visit donate inmemory.cancerresearch.org/ 0001633

I keep getting bladder infections, one after the other, even though I am not sexually active at this time, my last sexual encounter was five months ago could this be a symptom of being infected with HIV?

I'm no expert is HIV/AIDS, but aren't you jumping to a pretty dramatic conclusion? Perhaps your bladder infections simply haven't been treated with the right antibiotics. IHave you seen a urologist? Perhaps there is something more going on that a bladder infection? But I certainly would not think HIV unless you know that your last sexual parter was infected.

No it's not a symptom of HIV. Also HIV isn't diagnosed by symptoms but by a HIV test. If you have any concerns about HIV you can do a test. But the bladder infection is not connected.

I dont think so, bladder infections are common in young women, and sometimes hard to clear up.
Try visiting a urologist for better diagnosis and treatment.

NO it is not a symptom. See a Urologist for reccurent UTIs, they are treatable.

Will I be protected from all HPV diseases if I have had the Gardasil vaccine?

I heard that you can get cervical cancer from having vaginal sex, anal cancer from having anal sex and throat cancer from having oral sex and that they’re caused by HPV. I know that the vaccine doesn’t protect against all types of cervical cancer but does it protect against getting throat and anal cancer from having anal and oral sex?

Gardasil is only approved for the prevention of cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancers caused by HPV types 16 and 18; genital warts caused by HPV types 6 and 11; and precancerous or dysplastic lesions caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 in girls and young women nine through 26 years of age.

I know they are in clinical trails for using the vaccine in boys…and I have seen where they are seeing if it prevents Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis.

I feel sure that clinical trials are being done…and I am sure Merck the makers of Gardasil is hoping that it will prevent throat and anal cancers also.

The vaccine only prevents two high risk HPV types…and they are at least 15 other high risk HPV types…so we have a long way to go in preventing cancers due to HPV.

Dr. Rosanna Gray-Swain discusses HPV & the vaccines

Killing Cancer$9.95From 2 time cancer survivor L. J. Martin comes a patient’s, a layman’s, look at killing cancer. how he helped medical science in discovering, treating, and killing both prostate and squamous cancer of the tongue and lymph nodes….

A new trial finds that the Gardasil vaccine protects men against human papillomavirus (HPV) as effectively as it does women. the question is: is widespread vaccination necessary?

Gardasil became available in 2006 and is now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for all girls and young women between the ages of 9 and 26. it protects against four strains of HPV: 6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts cases, and 16 and 18, which cause 75% of all cervical cancers. Cervical cancer affects some 12,000 women per year.

However, vaccination rates remain low: according to a study presented in 2010 by researchers at the University of Maryland, only about one-third of teen girls and young women who start the three-dose series actually finish, and nearly three-quarters don’t start it at all. Part of the problem may be the drug’s cost, which approaches $400 for all three doses.

In 2009, Gardasil was approved for use among boys and men aged 9 to 26, but, lacking key data on the effectiveness of the vaccine in boys, official CDC guidelines don’t recommend routine vaccination in this group.

The new study, funded by Gardasil’s maker, Merck, involved 4,065 sexually active young men ages 16 to 26, from 18 countries, who were HPV-free at the time of trial. the participants were followed for two to three years. Overall, the study found that those in the Gardasil group was 65.5% less likely to develop genital warts caused by the four HPV strains that Gardasil inoculates against, compared with the placebo group. among study participants who completed the entire three-dose regimen, the vaccine was 90.4% effective at preventing genital warts (and 85.6% effective at preventing persistent HPV infection), compared with the placebo group — similar to its effectiveness in the female population.

Preventing persistent HPV infection and genital warts in men may also protect them from related cancers of the anus and penis. But given that rates of both genital warts and anal and penile cancers are so low in men, experts question whether the costs of vaccination are worth its benefits. Still, last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics included HPV vaccines for the first time in its list of recommended vaccines for children and teens. In December, Merck received permission from the FDA to market Gardasil as prevention for anal cancer.

Some advocates of routine HPV vaccination say that inoculating men contributes to herd immunity, and helps protect women. CNN reports:

“Men are such a vital component of the whole prevention cycle when looking at HPV or any sexually transmitted infection,” says Demetrius Porche, a professor of nursing research and evaluation at the Louisiana State University School of Public Health in new Orleans.

Vaccinating men provides a “double benefit” in that fewer men with HPV will also mean that fewer women are exposed, adds Porche, who was not involved in the current study but has researched HPV in men.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and affects 50% of sexually active adults over their lifetimes. the CDC estimates that 20 million Americans currently have a strain of HPV, with 6 million new cases each year. the virus has 40 different strains and is unusual in that its symptoms and outcomes can vary wildly; most people who have the virus have no symptoms and no lasting health problems. About 90% of HPV cases clear up on their own, though it can take up to two years for that to happen, which affords plenty of time to spread the disease.

The release of the Year to Date 2010 Morbidity Report for Tuolumne County revealed a startling 109 reported cases of chlamydia in the calendar year.

“We’ve been tackling the problem with increases in sexually transmitted illnesses for a number of years,” said Tuolumne County Health Officer Dr. Todd Stolp said.

    The majority of the 109 cases reported were high school aged females, Stolp said. Males tend not to get screened for sexually transmitted infections as often, due to the fact that they typically do not present symptoms, he said.     Forty-four cases of chlamydia were reported in Calaveras County in the 2010 calendar year. Eighty percent of cases reported were female, while 30 percent were girls under age 18, according to Dr. Dean Kelaita, Calaveras County’s public health officer.     “The peak occurrence of chlamydia for a number of years has been different for the two genders. for females, it peaks around age 17. for males, peak occurs around age 25,” Stolp said.     since the bacteria initially infects the cervix, which is not fully matured in teenage girls and young women, they are more susceptible to infection if sexually active, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.     “Chlamydia is the most common cause of female sterility (if untreated). it does have a very significant role in our lives and health,” Stolp said.     Testing for STDs has become more accessible in the last five years, according to Stolp, who said that the health van that goes to all the schools in the county has been a useful tool in helping identify several cases among high school students as a result. The Tuolumne County Health Department continues to make confidential screening available as well, he said.     Although chlamydia can be easily treated and cured by administering antibiotics once diagnosed, CDC recommends annual screening for sexually active women age 25 and younger to prevent further complications from developing.     “We’ve seen a continual rise (in the spread of chlamydia) not just in California, but across the U.S., which is why we’ve tried to increase awareness,” Stolp said.

Latest Depression News

FRIDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) — Young women with a menopause-like condition called primary ovarian insufficiency should be evaluated for depression, a new study suggests.

Women with the condition, called POI for short, stop producing normal amounts of reproductive hormones, develop hot flashes, typically become infertile and, in addition, face an increased risk for depression. POI can develop as early as the teens or 20s, according to the researchers, from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The investigators evaluated 174 women with POI and found that 67% either currently had depression or had been clinically depressed at least once in the past. that rate is more than twice the rate found among women in general, the researchers noted.

The finding was released online in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Just why depression seems more prevalent among women with POI, however, remains unclear. the theory that learning of a POI diagnosis is what triggered depression in most women with the condition was not supported by the study, which found that more than 68% of the women became depressed before they were diagnosed.

What doctors should do, however, was made clear by the study, according to one of the study’s senior authors, Dr. Lawrence M. Nelson, head of integrative and reproductive medicine at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

“Because of the strong association with depression, our results indicate all women diagnosed with POI should be thoroughly evaluated for depression,” Nelson said in an NIH news release.

“Simply asking patients if they are depressed is not sufficient,” he added. “Primary care physicians should evaluate their patients with a diagnostic screening test to determine if treatment or referral to a mental health specialist for further evaluation is needed.”

– Robert Preidt

Copyright © 2010 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SOURCE: U.S. National Institutes of Health, news release, Nov. 30, 2010

Author: James S. Pendergraft

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome or functional ovarian hyperandrogenism is an endocrine disorder that is seen occurring in 22 to 23 percent of the women’s population. It is a fairly common disorder of the hormones that occurs in teenagers and young women. It was first recognized in the year 1935.

In polycystic ovarian syndrome the ovary starts to mature twice the follicles than normal every month. These follicles mature, enlarge but do not release an egg. Normally during every menstrual cycle 5 follicles mature and there is maturation of at least one egg at ovulation, however in PCOS there is no release of an egg. this disease is said to run in families and is more common among the Asian decent women.

The actually cause of PCOS is still unknown but it is said to be related to irregular menstrual period or heavy bleeding. Another cause could be related to the amount of insulin production in your body. more the level of insulin, more are the chances of the insulin regulating the levels of sugar in the body. If there is extra insulin, it causes an imbalance in the hormones, thus making your menstrual cycle run smoothly.

The most common symptoms of PCOS are irregular periods, very light or heavy bleeding, occurrence of acne, hirsutism a condition where girls have extra growth of hair on face, neck, chest and lower abdomen and obesity. for PCOS to be diagnosed properly, one must visit a gynaecologist or an endocrinologist. after finding out the medical history of the patient the doctor will further do a physical check up. this will include a blood test, weight, physical changes like skin darkening, hair growth and gynaecologic examination if you are sexually active person.

PCOS must be treated early or can cause infertility to the young women in the long run, thus refraining her from having any children. If one desires to have children they must get the PCOS treated at an early stage. Many women have children even after developing the syndrome and getting an early treatment. PCOS is a condition that cannot be cured completely but can be taken care of and treated.

The doctor will help you loose weight if you have gained excess of it, through certain exercises and diet plans. this balancing of weight may further help bring the hormone levels to normal. Medicines like birth control pills and progesterone may be prescribed by the doctor to treat PCOS. These medicines and other creams prescribed by the doctor also help the girl control the excessive growth of hair and the occurrence of acne. however the medication does not always help every woman.

Women PCOS who want to conceive and have failed to respond to fertility drugs can get treated through surgery. A procedure called Laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) helps the women conceive. this technique destroys the tissues on the ovaries that produce testosterone and it thus helps in improving the hormone imbalance and ovulation cycle for long, helping women conceive. Treating infertility is one of the most prominent treatments that PCOS women desire for.

To your Health!

Article Source: articlesbase.com/womens-health-articles/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-causes-symptoms-and-treatments-767430.html

About the Author

Abortion Clinic. Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women’s Center in March 1996. Florida Abortion Clinic, physical examinations, family planning, counseling. Late Term Abortion Clinic.

Do you know what early symptoms of gynecologic cancer, it? By:cancer-prevention.org

??Some 20-year-old young women often feel abdominal pain, backache and was diagnosed to be afflicted with uterine fibroids after, but the disease occurs in young women who may be the property caused by long-term taking Diet pills.

??Women-specific signs of various types of cancer

??Uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyomas, are the most common female genital mutilation as a benign tumor, more common in women aged 35-45, about one in 35 women over the age of 4 to 5 people who have a uterine fibroid patients. in recent years, the deterioration of living environment, women’s increased work pressure, accelerate the pace of life and other factors so that was getting younger and younger patients with uterine fibroids, 20% -30% of patients in his early 20-year-old female, uterine muscle tumors to their physical and mental health, quality of life seriously negative impact.

??Early signals discounted

??Uterine fibroids occur in patients with the symptoms and the severity of what degree, the main part with the growth of fibroids, growth rate, size, and there is no degeneration or combined with other diseases. If the cases occur in women under 5 conditions, the additional cautions, recommendations in a timely manner to the hospital for further examination.

??(1) menstrual changes: If you change the normal menstrual cycle, increased by the amount of blood, menstruation and menstrual irregularities during regular hospital need to find the reasons why.

??(2) pain: patients suffering from uterine fibroids, most feel no pain, but there are few people in the fibroids or uterine infection after deformation, lower abdominal pain.

??(3) mass: the lower abdominal mass can be palpable, especially in the case of filling the bladder urine mass touch more obvious.

??(4) pressed: in patients with uterine fibroids, most people have no feeling, however, if the fibroids a lower status, not even cancer can also be pressure to neighboring organs such as bladder and dysuria; if rectal pressure constipation may occur; if the site is ureteral compression may be back pain and other symptoms.

??(5) infertility: a small number of uterine fibroids can cause infertility, its causes are uterine fibroids cause distortion, thus affecting the fertilized egg’s implantation.

??Therefore, the phenomenon of female friends once found, should seize the time to professional gynecology hospital for treatment, attention to early signs of the disease are women important principle to maintain their own health.