Ever since the Big Brother star Jade Goody died of cancer of the cervix there has been a welcome new awareness of this condition in the UK. Caught early the treatment is simple and a cure more or less guaranteed. If left it can spread as in young mother Jade's case claim your life. The way to make sure that this condition is caught early is to have screening (smear tests) to check for any changes in the cervix (the neck of the womb) It has been reported that many more young women have attended for these tests since Jade's experience which is a great thing, it is just a pity it took a death of a high profile young woman to achieve it.

It is true that when that call comes round to go for a smear test, most of us groan and put it off as long as possible. In the Uk we are so lucky to have a health service that looks after us so well and calls us for these tests when the time has come. And given that cancer of the cervix is very easily treated if caught early there really is no excuse at all to put ourselves at risk.