Cervical cancer rates have decreased by over 5 percent in the past 30 years, mostly due to the development of tests for infections and vaccinations and increased awareness of this health concern. Awareness is largely driven by campaigns like the National Cervical Cancer Coalition’s (NCCC) Cervical Health Awareness Month. Interested in helping women with cervical health concerns? Consider becoming a certified nurse-midwife (CNM).

Thought that CNMs solely care for women who are pregnant? No way! On average, CNMs spend 10 percent of their time in the direct care of birthing women and their newborns. 90 percent of their patient visits are for primary, preventative care, including reproductive health visits, regular gynecological care (i.e., annual exams) and peri-/post-menopausal care.

This is an especially promising field to go into now. Most adults who are sexually active have had some type of HPV at some point in their lives and HPV is thought to be responsible for about 91% of cervical cancers, according to the CDC.

What Can You Do Now to Promote Cervical Health?

One big way people learn about cervical health is by using social media — in fact, today’s society uses social media for almost everything. Check out #CervicalHealthMonth on Twitter to see how the NCCC is utilizing this popular medium to promote health and wellness.

Along with planning your own career path to become a CNM, you can help raise awareness today by sharing personal stories of those battling HPV or cervical cancer or by highlighting the recent advancements in research and treatment that may also help those who may be wary about invasive or painful procedures.

Awareness and treatment regarding HPV and other cervical health concerns is important to all health care providers, especially those focused on caring for women like CNMs. Choose a career in health care to do your part to help raise awareness of this important health concern.