Welcome to The Truth Foundation’s Q&A section for females.  Feel free to ask any question related to HPV, cervical cancer, pap smears, preventative measures, treatment and more.

We’re here for you!

Welcome to The Truth Foundation’s Q&A section for males.  Feel free to ask any question related to HPV, cervical cancer, pap smears, preventative measures, treatment and more.

We’re here for you!

Women who may be most at risk are women who…

• Do not have regular Pap smears.
• Have ever had a sexually transmitted disease.
• Have ever had more than one sex partner- or whose sex partner has ever had other partners.

Regular Pap smears are the most common way to find cell changes that may lead to cervical cancer. All women who are sexually active should have a Pap smear once a year. Women who are not sexually active should start having Pap smears when they turn 18.

HPV is very common but most people don’t know they have it. It is passed during sex from the genital skin of one person to the genital skin of another. There are more than 70 different types of HPV. Some types (low-risk types) cause genital warts that you can see. Some types (high-risk types) cause cell changes on the cervix that might lead to cervical cancer.

Not all cell changes are abnormal. Your doctor may want to do an HPV test to find out if these cell changes are caused by HPV. If the test comes back negative, you know that the test did not find any HPV so there is little risk for cervical cancer now. If the HPV test comes back positive, then the cell changes are probably abnormal and may need more tests. Some abnormal cells may need treatment. Even if the test for HPV is negative you should still have regular Pap smears to make sure your cervix stays healthy.

The Pap smear can help your doctor find changes in the cells on your cervix that might lead to cancer.

Cervical cancer can be prevented. Cells go through many changes before they turn into cancer. The Pap smear finds these changes early, while they can still be treated and cured.

A lot of women feel embarrassed or scared by the Pap smear. Some are afraid they may find out they have cancer. Remember, cancer is rare. Your Pap will be looking for cells that might turn into cancer if they are not treated.

Getting Your Pap Smear

The Pap smear is often part of a yearly check-up.

During your visit, the doctor or nurse might also be checking for other things like breast cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. During your Pap smear your doctor or nurse will insert a tool called a speculum, into your vagina to open it and make it easier for them to see
your cervix.

• A brush and a wooden or plastic spatula (like a popsicle stick) are used to collect a sample of cells from the cervix.

The sample of cells is then sent to a lab where it is examined for changes.

How to Prepare for your Pap Smear

• Make your appointment for a day you will not be having your period.
• Do not have sex for 2 days before your Pap smear.
• Do not use douches, vaginal creams, foams, gels or tampons for 2 days before your Pap smear.

During your Appointment

When you are on the exam table, let your knees fall open to the sides. If you hold them open, you are using your muscles and you will be tense. Take a couple of slow deep breaths through your mouth to relax.

The Pap smear doesn’t take long. It is a quick and easy way for you to take care of yourself.

What is Follow-up Care?

Once your Pap smear is over, it is important to get the results. Different clinics give out results in different ways. To make sure you
get the right follow-up care:

1. Ask your doctor or nurse when and how you will get your results.
2. Plan to schedule your next Pap smear for 1 year later.
3. If cell changes are found, your doctor or nurse may:
   • Repeat a Pap smear every four to six months to recheck your cervix
   • Test your cervix for the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease
   • Look at your cervix with a special lens called a colposcope
   • Take a sample of tissue, called a biopsy, from the cervix

Follow-up is not the same for every woman. Friends or family members might have different follow-up plans than you do. Follow the plan your doctor sets for you.

In Loving Memory…

LenNyika S. C. Gray January 5, 1980 – May 8, 2009

The idea for Truth Foundation was inspired on December 24, 2008 when doctors informed Bernard Laverne and LenNyika, his wife of three years, that she would not survive advanced stage 3b of cervical cancer that had invaded her body.

LenNyika was 27 years young when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. At the time she worked for a national transportation company based in Southern California as an Assistant Operations Manager. On her job, she was openly praised by senior officers as the future CEO of her company. A positive light, she impacted the lives of all those she came in contact with. Whether by lending a helping hand when needed, lending an open ear, or a shoulder to lean on–everybody loved “Nyika”, as she was called by family and close friends.

Prior to Bernard and Nyika marrying, she went to her doctor for her annual routine pap smear where she was told  later by her doctor that the results of her pap smear came back “slightly abnormal.” She returned for a follow-up visit and her doctor reassured her there was nothing to panic about and that she should simply come back in one year for her annual appointment.

A couple of months later Nyika began experiencing slightly irregular periods. Her period durations were either shorter or longer than usual, and her menstrual flow was heavier than normal coupled with severe menstrual cramps.

After months of irregular periods and being told by her doctors that it was attributed to stress and not to worry, Nyika began to bleed nonstop while her body consistently passed blood clots–some as large as her hand. She was always in terrible pain and was told by her doctors that it was her hormones or possibly fibroids, so they prescribed birth control pills in an effort to stop the bleeding hormonally. The birth control pills didn’t work and the bleeding continued, eventually leading to Nyika needing 3 blood transfusions.  After all of this, they decided to perform a biopsy of her cervix where her doctors found that she had advanced cervical cancer and that the birth control pills they prescribe having progesterone, the chemical in birth control that causes the body to think its pregnant–also a form of estrogen, was actually feeding the cancer and caused it to grow rapidly. That was in June of 2008, it was an uphill battle from there. Nyika went through chemotherapy, external and internal radiation, but the cancer moved to her lymph nodes and eventually into her bloodstream causing a total of 15 tumors to grow on both livers and 4 tumors to grow in her spine.

Throughout Nyika and Bernard’s battle with the disease there was also a constant uphill battle establishing a clear line of communication with the physician’s overseeing his Nyika’s care. Bernard saw the importance of aggressively advocating on his wife’s behalf and began studying the prescribed medications and combative treatments. Through his independent advocacy on behalf of his wife, he started speaking with the directors of each department servicing his wife and the director of the hospital eventually bringing all of her doctors together as a collective to work with him and his wife as opposed to working on his wife. Bernard insisted on exercising his wife’s right to be directly involved in her care to ensure she was receiving the best medical treatment available, verses what was cost effective for the hospital and the standard offering for Nyika’s type of medical insurance.

Bernard and his wife knew of 3 couples on the same floor battling with the same disease going through the same bureaucratic red tape and saw the need for a service to provide advocacy for patients and their families who were in the same predicament, thereby planting the seed that would later form The Truth Foundation.

L.A. County STD Hotline: (800) 758-0880

Antelope Valley

335-B East Avenue K-6
Lancaster 93535
(661) 723-4511

Central L.A.

241 N. Figueroa St.
L.A. 90012
(213) 240-8225

Glendale

501 N. Glendale Ave.
Glendale 91206
(818) 500-5762

Hollywood-Wilshire

5205 Melrose Ave.
L.A. 90038
(323) 769-7932

Inglewood Curtis Tucker Health Center

123 W. Manchester Blvd.
Inglewood 90301
(310) 419-5362

Monrovia

330 W. Maple Ave.
Monrovia 91016
(626) 256-1600

Pacoima

13300 Van Nuys Blvd.
Pacoima 91331
(818) 896-1903

Pomona

750 S. Park Ave.
Pomona 91766
(909) 868-0235

Santa Monica

(Yvonne Burke Center)
2509 Pico Blvd., 2nd floor
Santa Monica 90405
(310) 998-3203

South L.A.

1522 E. 102nd St.
L.A. 90002
(323) 563-4112

South L.A.

(Dr. Ruth Temple Health Center)
3834 S. Western Ave.
L.A. 90062
(323) 730-3507

Torrance

2300 W. Carson St.
Torrance 90501
(310) 222-6571

Whittier

7643 S. Painter Ave.
Whittier 90602
(562) 464-5350

There are 30 – 40 types of Genital HPV.  Types 16 and 18 cause 70% of all cervical cancer cases.  Types 6 and 11 cause 90% of all Genital Warts cases.

Know the facts.

Cervical Cancer is Caused By HPV, Commonly Types 16 & 18

Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix (the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina). Unlike other cancers, cervical cancer is not hereditary. It’s caused by certain types of a virus, human papillomavirus (HPV).

When a woman becomes infected with one of these types of HPV, and the virus doesn’t go away on its own, abnormal cells can develop in the lining of the cervix.

If these cells are not found early, precancerous cells and then cancer can develop.

Cervical Cancer: It’s Not Too Early to Think About It

Based on American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates, about 30 women a day were diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States in 2008. While half of all women diagnosed with cervical cancer are between 35 and 55 years old, many of these women could have been initially exposed to cancer-causing HPV in their teens and 20s.

There Are More Than 30 Types of Genital HPV

The types of HPV that cause cervical cancer are different from the types that cause genital warts. All HPV types that affect the genital area can cause abnormal Pap tests.

80% of Women Will Have Had HPV in Their Lifetime

Both men and women can have HPV, and it is easily spread. Any type of genital contact with someone who has HPV can put you at risk — intercourse isn’t necessary. And since there are often no signs or symptoms, many people don’t know they are passing it on. There are about 6 million new cases of genital HPV in the United States each year. There are more than 30 types of genital HPV, and most will clear on their own. But for some women who don’t clear certain types of the virus, cervical cancer can develop. And there’s no way to predict who will or won’t clear the virus.

Genital Warts, Another Disease Cause by HPV

While certain types of HPV can cause cervical cancer, other types can cause genital warts. Genital warts are usually soft, flesh-colored growths that can be raised or flat, small or large, alone or in clusters. There are an estimated 1 million new cases of genital warts eachyear in the United States.* While genital warts are not life threatening, they can be life altering. There are a number of ways to treat genital warts, including creams, removal by burning, freezing, or laser, and surgery. However, even after treatment, genital warts can return. In fact, 25% of cases return within 3 months.

More Facts About HPV

HPV FACTS: #1

HPV is short for Human Papillomavirus.

HPV FACTS: #2

About 30 types of HPV affect the genital area.

HPV FACTS: #3

There are 4 types of HPV that cause the most HPV diseases in women, types 16, 18, 6, and 11.

HPV FACTS: #4

An estimated 8 out of 10 women will become infected with HPV in their lifetime.

HPV FACTS: #5

Every day, about 12,000 people ages 15 to 24 are infected with HPV.

HPV FACTS: #6

For most, HPV clears on its own. But for some women, cervical cancer can develop.

HPV FACTS: #7

Cervical cancer is caused by certain types of HPV (types 16, 18).

HPV FACTS: #8

Every year, thousands of women learn they have cervical cancer.

HPV FACTS: #9

HPV often has no signs or symptoms.

HPV FACTS: #10

You can get HPV without even knowing it.

HPV FACTS: #11

You don’t have to actually have sex to get HPV.

HPV FACTS: #12

Condoms may not fully protect against HPV.

HPV FACTS: #13

Many women with cervical cancer were probably exposed to HPV in their teens and 20s.

HPV FACTS: #14

Every day, 30 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer.

HPV FACTS: #15

Genital warts are caused by certain types of HPV.

HPV FACTS: #16

Each year, there are about 1 million new cases of genital warts in the United States.

HPV FACTS: #17

Even after treatment, genital warts can return.

HPV FACTS: #18

All types of genital HPV can cause abnormal Pap tests.

HPV FACTS: #19

In a study of female college students, about 60% of them were infected with HPV during their first 4 years in college.

HPV FACTS: #20

HPV is also linked to other cancers.

Facts provided by HPV.com