Discussing cervical cancer with Hairspray’s Marissa Jarot Winokur
Jun 10, 2008 A day in our life, Watching way too much TV
Yesterday I attended a webcast with Marissa Jarot Winokur and Dr. Maria Sevard (I hope I didn’t butcher her name). Marissa is the bubbly girl from Hairspray who was also recently on Dancing With The Stars. Marissa is a cancer survivor. She had cervical cancer and had to have a hysterectomy. Back when she was diagnosed she wasn’t really thinking about the fact that she wouldn’t be able to have children. She was more focused on beating the disease. Now, in her mid-thirties, she and her husband are expecting their first child in just six weeks. She still has her ovaries so she had an egg retrieval. They created an embryo using her egg and her husband’s sperm and now a surrogate is carrying her biological child.
Marissa wanted to participate in the webcast to get the word out about the HPV test. According to Marissa, cervical cancer is the only cancer we can diagnose early and stop. We know what causes cervical cancer…the human papillomavirus (HPV). And there is a test that offers virtually 100% piece of mind by detecting the HPV…the HPV test.
Dr. Sevard described the HPV as like the common cold. Something like 80% of sexually active women have it. But just because you have it doesn’t mean you will get cancer. It just means you should be prepared. 90 to 95% of women will fight off the virus on their own. To help you body fight off the virus you should eat a healthy diet and take B complex vitamins.
Gynecologists suggest sexually active women under 30 should have an annual pap test. Women over 30 should have both a pap test and the HPV test. A pap is a smear of cells that your doctor (or a lab tech) looks at under a microscope for cell changes. But paps can miss cancer. The cancer cells may be deeper or in a different part of the cervix then where your doctor took the smear. The HPV test is a DNA test so it can detect the virus with almost 100% certainty.
If you test positive you may still be ok. Your doctor will restest you in six months or a year. If you test positive twice then your doctor will know to keep a closer eye on you. He/she may perform a more advanced test called a culposcopy. This test will be done in the office and will allow your doctor to do a biopsy. If cancer is found, your doctor will remove the cells by either freezing, burning or cutting out the cells.
Marissa wants to get the word out so women can empower themselves. Early detection can save your life so ask your doctor to run the HPV test on you at your next appointment. And go to http://www.thehpvtest.com to learn more.
Also, Marissa is calling on all women to “take the pledge to stop cervical cancer” by visiting www.theHPVtest.com/pledge. For each woman who pledges to spread the word to her family and friends and/or get the HPV test, QIAGEN – the company that developed the test for the primary cause of cervical cancer – will donate $1 to two charities dedicated to educating women on the disease.
Check out video of the webcast at http://www.youtube.com/DigeneQ.
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Tags: cervical cancer, HPV, Marissa Jarot Winokur, the HPV test
June 11th, 2008 at 5:59 am
I had no idea there was a blood test you could take to help detect HPV. And what of the vaccine. Did she talk about that at all?
Lis Garrett’s last blog post..Father’s Day Pictures
June 11th, 2008 at 6:36 am
I didn’t know there was a blood test either.
I just hope our health system doesn’t come to this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1025334/
I-told-I-young-smear-test-I-dying-cervical-cancer-just-24.html
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June 11th, 2008 at 10:21 am
She didn’t say much about the vaccine. All she said was even if you’ve had the vaccine you should still have the HPV test starting when you are thirty.
Christine’s last blog post..Discussing cervical cancer with Hairspray’s Marissa Jarot Winokur
June 25th, 2008 at 11:03 am
[...] totally put his foot in his mouth when he talked to his fellow Dancing With the Stars contestant, Marissa Jarot Winokur. Having heard that she was going to have a baby Adam talked about the wonderful delights in having [...]