Health Awareness talk for women held at NBVM

Apr 06, 2015

By Anne Marie Yap
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, the Family Life Ministry of the parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (NBVM), organised a Pap-smear and Self-breast Examination (BSE) cum talk as well as a Natural Fertility Awareness exhibition for parishioners on Sunday, March 15.

As many as 90 women registered for the event. However, only 52 attended the talk 42 came to learn how to do BSE and 25, to have a pap smear examination.

In her talk on Breast and Cervical Cancer, Dr Kavita stressed on the importance of a pap smear for married women and those who are single but sexually active or have multiple sexual partners. She explained that a pap smear examination, would show unusual growth of any cells in the cervix. Early cervical cancer, fungal growth as well as sexually transmitted diseases (STD) can be detected and treated. Cervical cancer can be treated with radiotherapy, chemotherapy or alternative medicine. A pap smear should be done three-five days after menstruation, once every three years. The examination is not painful but uncomfortable. More than 10 000 in every 100 000 women who take the pap smear examination are recalled for treatment of diseases. Finally, Dr Kavita encouraged all mothers to allow their daughters to take the vaccination against cervical cancer as well as liver cancer which are preventable cancers. The risk factors for cervical cancer are being sexually active at a young age, smoking and having multiple sex partners. The signs of cervical cancer are painful sexual intercourse, decreased appetite, feeling lethargic, abnormal discharge, heavy and prolonged menstruation, loss of weight and ‘smelly’ or ‘fishy’ discharge.

After that, Dr Kavita demonstrated how to do BSE. She said that BSE should be done a few days after menstruation and not before as the breasts will be more tender, owing to the release of hormones. BSE is best done when one is having a bath as the soap helps to lubricate the skin and any unusual lumps can be easily detected. When a lump is found, women should go immediately to seek medical advice from a doctor so that a biopsy can be done. While some lumps are benign, others can be cancerous. She also encouraged women in their forties, to take a mammogram so as to see the presence of any mass in the breast.

For further information, one can log on to the Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia website. Susila, one of the attendees, found the talk enlightening and helpful. Teresa Chan, who was also present found the talk very informative and helpful in promoting mental and physical health, as it allays all fears of a pap smear examination and a mammogram. She expressed that mothers who are informed, can also pass on the information to their daughters and granddaughters as prevention is better than cure.