karen32

I am so sorry you lost your mother at such a young age It must have been an incredibly difficult time for you.

Short answer: no, most cases of cervical cancer are not genetic/hereditary.

Long answer: Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by the hpv virus. Most sexually active people will have some type of hpv in their body at some point in their life, and likely not have any type of indication that it is there (meaning it does not cause any genital warts or cervical cell changes). Unfortunately, for some of us it does end up causing cervical cancer if it is not caught early enough. The pap smear screens for cell changes, however it is not always 100%. That is why it is so important to get your pap smears done regularly. I was screened annually, and yet somehow I still ended up with early stage invasive cervical cancer. A key component of keeping the virus at bay is your immune system. If you are healthy, exercise, don't smoke, aren't overstressed, then you have a good chance of not experiencing any complications from the virus.

Again, I'm sorry that you lost your mother to cervical cancer. Please honor her by ensuring you go for your paps, and do your best to live a healthy lifestyle.

Karen