Michelle Roberts
Health editor

Anyone aged 25 to 64 with a cervix should go for cervical screening, says NHS England.

In England, if you are registered as male with your GP, you may not be automatically invited for cervical screening.

If you have a cervix, you are still eligible for cervical screening.

You can opt-in to receive automatic invites for cervical screening by contacting your GP and signing a cervical screening opt-in form., external

Tabby Wilson
Live reporter

As we've been reporting, between 2020 and 2024, no cervical cancer deaths were recorded in women aged 20 to 24 in England for the first time over a five year period.

When looking at the issue on a global scale, Australia has said it wants to be the first in the world to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue.

And the country is on track to do that within a decade, thanks to a breakthrough in a Queensland lab two decades ago.

Scientists in 2006 developed a pioneering jab which could prevent the human papillomavirus (HPV) - and a year later it launched a national immunisation programme.

Australia also has a world-class screening programme, which includes at home tests. Incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer have both halved.

And the most recent data shows, for the first time since records began, there were no cervical cancer cases diagnosed in women under the age of 25 in 2021.

In practical terms, eliminating cervical cancer as a public health issue in Australia does not mean it would become a thing of the past entirely - scientists define elimination as fewer than four cases of cervical cancer per 100,000 people.

You can read more about the challenges which remain here.

Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

Image source, Natasha Hall

Natasha Hall, 35, had always been “really scared” of going for a cervical screening, but when she was 30 she started experiencing abnormal bleeding, spotting, lower back pain and severe fatigue.

She went for a screening, tested positive for HPV and was diagnosed with cervical cancer in August 2021 - three days before her 31st birthday.

“I was absolutely devastated…the first thing that people think when they get told they have cervical cancer is: ‘I’m going to die'…I couldn’t function.”

Natasha, from Leicester, had a radical hysterectomy to have her womb, uterus, cervix and a third of her vagina removed. She has now been in remission for four and a half years.

The mum-of-three says the screening was "over and done in about thirty seconds" and she regrets not going for one sooner.

Natasha has three sons, and her 17-year-old has been given the vaccine at school.

“I don’t want them in the same position as me", she says, adding that if the vaccine was rolled out when she was in school: "I very likely wouldn’t have been in the same position as I was four and a half years ago."

Michelle Roberts
Health editor

Image source, Getty Images

Going for cervical screening, which used to be called a smear test, can feel daunting.

The doctors and nurses who do them are very experienced at performing these tests. Let them know if it is your first one or you are feeling anxious or embarrassed.

The test can be uncomfortable but should not be painful.

Tell the nurse or doctor if you are finding it difficult, and you can stop the test at any point if you want to.

There are also things that may help, such as booking a longer appointment or bringing a friend along for support.

• Smear test top tips: How to make cervical screening more comfortable

Madeleine Lake
Live reporter

Who can get the vaccine? It's recommended for children aged 12 to 13, those under 24 who missed it during school, and those with higher risks to HPV.

Do I need a cervical screening if I've had a HPV jab? Screenings are still important even if you've been vaccinated. It doesn't protect against all types of HPV that cause cervical cancer.

If my HPV test is positive, does it mean I have cancer? It's rare for an abnormal result to show that cancer has already developed. A positive test means a high-risk strain of HPV has been found – which will then be checked under a microscope to look for cell changes.

Can men get HPV? Yes and many do. Most men will not know they have HPV and won't get symptoms. Some types can cause genital warts and other high-risk types can cause cancers.

Do I need to be tested for HPV if I've never had sex? It's passed from one person to another through close skin-skin contact. You're at risk if you're having any sexual contact. If you have not had any kind of sexual contact your risk of getting HPV is low.

You can still send us your questions - email: yourvoice@bbc.co.uk, external

Elliot Burrin
Live reporter

Ellie was only 29 when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, shortly after giving birth to her first child. She had no symptoms, was healthy and hadn't been losing weight – but a scan revealed a tumour on her cervix.

She tells me it was a "real shock", especially as her first cervical screening test suggested everything was normal.

A hysterectomy removed the cancer, but the following year, Ellie was re-diagnosed after an MRI showed a cancerous tumour in her pelvis. Today, she's talking to me after being in remission for five years.

Ellie has two young daughters and says they will definitely be vaccinated when they're old enough. She says it's "amazing" that cervical cancer is becoming "something we can eradicate".

She now lives with "a myriad of health conditions" and mobility issues as a result of the cancer and treatment.

"I would hate to see any other young person see their life destroyed by it," Ellie tells me.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor

Cancer Research UK is warning that too few teenagers and young people are coming forward for an HPV jab.

Figures for England show close to 1 in 4 young people , externalcurrently leave school unprotected against HPV.

In some regions, including much of London, uptake has fallen below 70% among those who have just become eligible for the jab.

In the UK, all secondary school aged children aged 11-13 are offered it. Any who missed their vaccine can get it for free via their GP up to the age of 25.

Smitha Mundasad
Health reporter

Steve, from Cheltenham, says he has a rare condition called Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, caused by specific strains of HPV, which causes recurring growths on and around his voice box.

Men can get HPV and many do – it can be passed on to male and female partners through vaginal, anal or oral sex or genital skin-to-skin contact. Most men will not know they have HPV and won’t get symptoms.

But some types of HPV can cause genital warts and other more high-risk types can cause penile and anal cancers and cancers at the back of the throat, base of the tongue and tonsils.

Another rare disease caused by HPV is Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP) where mostly non-cancerous tumours grow in the airways and around the voice box.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor

We're answering your questions around cervical cancer, screening and HPV.

Laura in London, who had the vaccine as a child, says she later tested positive for HPV after going for a smear test and had abnormal cells removed.

While the HPV vaccine is extremely effective, it is still possible that some people will develop cervical cancer.

HPV infections are very common and the jab is designed to protect against infections - but does not treat them.

Women are still advised to go for cervical screening to check for HPV.

If it is found, more checks can be done to know if any monitoring or treatment is needed. Screening and HPV vaccines prevent cancers and save lives.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor

Image source, Getty Images

Cervical screening used to be called a smear test.

This was the test used before HPV testing, which is what we use today. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are linked to high-risk HPV.

During the HPV test, a nurse or doctor uses a soft brush to take a sample of cells from the cervix.

This is then sent off for testing at a laboratory to see whether high-risk HPV is present.

If it is, then the sample will be checked for signs of cell changes which could develop into cancer over time if left untreated.

Elliot Burrin
Live reporter

Image source, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust

Caroline Shepherd works as an assistant director for Child Health and Immunisations in the East of England - a region which has the highest HPV vaccine uptake rates in the country.

When young people come to get their jab from the NHS service, Caroline says some of them are nervous, so it's important to explain what the vaccine does and the types of cancers it can prevent.

"It's often a much more positive experience than they expected," she says, adding that many of them "leave feeling proud" after getting vaccinated.

The service, which goes into schools, is also tackling declining national vaccination rates by reaching out to households where children haven't got the HPV vaccine.

"When vaccination is easy to access and explained clearly, uptake is strong," Caroline says.

"The vast majority of parents continue to support vaccination, but vaccine hesitancy, anxiety, lack of information or reasonable adjustment leads to a vaccination being missed," she tells me.

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Michelle Roberts
Health editor

A positive HPV test does not mean you have cancer. It means a high-risk strain of HPV has been detected.

The sample is then checked under a microscope for cell changes.

If there are none, you will be invited for a further HPV test sooner than usual to check that the HPV has gone (the body often clears the infection itself).

If cell changes are found, this does not mean you have cancer. You will be invited to have more checks and may need some treatment.

It is very rare for an abnormal result to show that a cancer has already developed.

Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

Image source, Alexandra Lawrence

As a consultant gynaecological oncologist at the Royal London Hospital, Alexandra Lawrence speaks to parents who are sometimes hesitant to get their children vaccinated.

She says this is because they believe the HPV vaccine will promote sexual activity in young women, but not getting children vaccinated “makes them less protected” and “might undermine their future health".

Lawrence says the HPV vaccine also protects men and boys from certain cancers, protects any future partners, and is particularly useful for men who have sex with men.

“The younger you have the vaccination the more likely you are to have enduring immunity," Lawrence explains. "Ideally you’d have it before you have sex.”

Lawrence adds that for some people, having HPV has a “big taboo”.

“It’s a sexually acquired infection but pretty much everybody who ever has sex gets exposed to HPV. It’s just luck of the draw if you get high-risk HPV or low-risk”. However, she says, “people are becoming much more accepting of it”.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor

Cervical screening is still important even if you've been vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV).

The HPV vaccine doesn’t protect against all types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Cervical screening is another effective way to prevent cervical cancer.

It aims to detect certain types of HPV infection that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix.

If any abnormal cells are found, these can be monitored or treated before they have a chance to become cervical cancer.

Image source, Other

Alexandra Legg left school just before the HPV vaccine was introduced in England.

In 2021, just as she was planning her wedding, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer aged 30.

"I remember hearing the words and I just couldn't really breathe very well," she says. "I was so upset - everything went through my head, it was so hard."

Her treatment involved the removal of lymph nodes in her abdomen, although surgeons were able to preserve a small part of her cervix, giving her a chance of becoming pregnant.

Just a year later, her daughter Ivy was born. "Those nine months were so scary because I was at such risk of losing her at any point," she says.

Alexandra says her life could have been far less traumatic if she had been offered the HPV vaccine and urged those eligible to get it.

"I'm a real advocate for this vaccine and when Ivy is old enough, she'll be first in the queue," she adds.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes almost all of the main types of cervical cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.

There are many different types of HPV - 14 of which are considered high risk for cervical cancer. Two types of the virus (HPV 16 and HPV 18) cause about 70 out of 100 (70%) of all cervical cancer cases.

For most people, HPV causes no harm and goes away on its own. However, if you have a persistent infection and a high risk type of HPV, you are more at risk of developing cervical cancer.

People living with HIV or AIDS, and tobacco smokers have a higher risk of getting cervical cancer, while women who have a sexually transmitted infection alongside HPV may also be at greater risk.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor

Image source, Getty Images

HPV is passed from one person to another through close skin-to-skin contact.

You are at risk of getting HPV with any kind of sexual contact, including oral sex, touching of the genital area, vaginal sex, anal sex, and sharing sex toys.

It is possible to get HPV from just one occasion of sexual contact. If you have not had any kind of sexual contact, your risk of getting HPV is low.

You may decide not to have screening if you have not been sexually active, but you can still go if you want to. It might help to talk it through with your GP.

The landmark new research looks at mortality rates of cervical cancer and vaccination data for women aged 20 to 34 to calculate the impact of vaccination on cervical cancer survival.

Here's a breakdown of the key findings:

• Children vaccinated at age 12–13 against HPV have close to zero risk of dying from cervical cancer before the age of 30
• Between 2020 and 2024, no cervical cancer deaths were recorded in women aged 20 to 24 - the first time that had happened over a five-year period

• Around 200 cervical cancer deaths were prevented by HPV vaccination up to the end of 2024
• Cervical cancer deaths have fallen sharply since school-age girls began being offered it in 2008
• Without vaccination, 23 deaths from cervical cancer would have been expected between 2020-2024