Cervical Cancer - Risk Factors

High Sexual Activity. In adults, the most important risk factor for HPV is sexual activity with an infected person. Women most at risk for cervical cancer are those with a history of multiple sexual partners, sexual intercourse at 17 years or younger, or both. A woman who has never been sexually active has a very low risk for developing cervical cancer. Sexual activity with multiple partners increases the likelihood of many infections in addition to human papillomavirus.

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Douching. Women who douche on a weekly basis are more likely to contract cervical cancer than those who do not. Douching may destroy the natural antiviral agents normally present in the vagina, making women more susceptible to HPV.

Pessaries. Use of a pessary (a ring-shaped plastic device that keeps the vagina and uterus from collapsing) increases the risk of chronic inflammation and viral infection at the insertion site and therefore may increase the risk for cervical cancer.

Risk Factors for HPV in Children and Infants. HPV also can occur in children and even newborns. The virus may also be transmitted by an infected mother. In children, HPV is usually the harmless form that cause skin warts.

Genetics

In one analysis, between 15% and 20% of women with cervical cancer had at least one close relative with the disease. Two studies have also reported that in families with cervical cancer there have also been higher rates of other HPV-related and smoking-associated cancers. Inherited factors in such cases most likely cause changes in the immune system that make such people more susceptible to HPV or other viruses.

Use of Oral Contraceptives

A number of studies, including a major analysis, have reported a strong association between cervical cancer and long-term use of oral contraception (OC). Women who have taken OCs for more than ten years have a much higher risk of HPV infection (up to four times higher) than those who do not use OCs.(Women taking OCs for less than five years have no significantly higher risk.) The reasons for this risk from OC use are not entirely clear. Women who use OCs are less likely to use a diaphragm, condoms, or other methods that offer some protection against sexual transmitted diseases, including HPV. Some experts also suggested that the hormones in OCs might facilitate entry of the HPV virus in the genetic material of cervical cells.