3. d. Fear of Cervical Cancer
One of the most common concerns of women tested positive for HPV was
cervical cancer that has described in a different manuscript as the
psychological response to HPV diagnosis. A context-specific finding that
seems specific to societies that adhere to cultural principles was fear
of cervical cancer in virgin single women. Since vaginal virginity is a
matter of prestige in most parts of Iran, they reported engaging in
sexual intercourse without vaginal penetration. Two virgin women have
expressed concern about cervical cancer following an ascending HPV
infection from the perineum to the cervix. After getting genital warts
and learning about HPV-related cancers, they were worried about cervical
cancer. One revealed that:
”You don’t know what is going on because you can’t take Pap smear
or colposcopy. I was scared. My gynecologist performed so-called Girly
Pap smear. She took a cotton swab sample from the end of the vagina for
HPV typing and cytology.” (P.16)
It was a