January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and a state program offers free screenings for some women.
The Wisconsin Well Woman Program pays for breast and cervical cancer screenings for low-income, uninsured and underinsured women ages 45 to 64.
Pap tests and mammograms are offered at no cost to enrolled women and can be done at most area health-care providers.
Those who think that they may be eligible for the program should contact the Waupaca County coordinator at 715-258-6387 or visit the program’s website at http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/womenshealth/WWWP/.
As women age, they continue to be at risk for cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer tends to occur in midlife – most often to women under age 50.
Annual Pap tests can help detect pre-cancers early, before they turn into cancer.