Cáncer de cuello uterino

Virus del papiloma humano (HPV) vaccination protects against the types of HPV most likely to cause cancer (including cervical cancer), and it is most effective if done before a person is exposed to the virus.

All young people ages 9–12 should get vaccinated against HPV. Vaccination is also recommended for teens and young adults up to age 26 if not fully vaccinated when younger.

If the vaccine is given as recommended, it can prevent more than 90% of HPV-related cancers.

Hágase una prueba de Papanicolaou cada 3 años.

Tienes alguna de estas opciones:

• Una prueba de Papanicolaou sola cada 3 años.
• A high-risk HPV test* alone every 5 years.
• A high-risk HPV test* with a Pap test (co-testing) every 5 years.

If you’re older than 65, talk with your health care provider about whether you still need to be screened.

If you are at increased risk for cervical cancer you may need to be screened differently (varied intervals or additional tests). Follow the recommendations of your health care provider.

Under federal law, private insurers and Medicaid are required to cover services that have an “A” or “B” grade by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Some insurers may choose to cover services for additional groups. Medicare coverage for preventive services is limited to tests for which Congress has explicitly authorized coverage.

Always check with your insurance provider to find out if you’ll be covered for routine cervical cancer screening.

Some organizations recently began including the self-collection method in HPV screening recommendations, after these methods received FDA approval in 2025. Draft recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force include both patient- and clinician-collected methods for HPV testing, and we anticipate these recommendations will be finalized and published soon.

If you are interested in using the self-collection method for HPV testing, talk to your health care provider and ask if this is an option for you.

Todos los jóvenes de entre 9 y 12 años deben vacunarse contra el VPH. También se recomienda la vacunación para adolescentes y adultos jóvenes de hasta 26 años si no estaban completamente vacunados cuando eran más jóvenes.

If you do use tobacco, quit. Quitting will have an immediate positive impact on your cancer risk.

Limit your number of partners and use protection/a barrier (such as a condom) every time. Because HPV is spread through vaginal, anal or oral sex, using a new condom the right way every time you have sex can help protect you, but it is not 100% protection.

Debe hacerse la prueba de Papanicolaou y/o la prueba del VPH incluso si ha sido vacunada contra el VPH.