Homepage Introduction Latest News Primary Care Contact Us QA Timetable QA Contact List Papers & Publications Search Useful Links Risk factors which could cause cervical cancer The exact cause of cervical cancer is not known. However, it is known that: Around 95% of all cases are linked with certain types of human papilloma virus women with many sexual partners, or whose partners have had many partners, are more at risk using a condom gives some protection; long-term use of the pill may increase the risk women who smoke are about twice as likely to develop the disease as non-smokers women with a late first pregnancy have a lower risk than those with an early pregnancy; the risk rises with the number of pregnancies women in manual social classes are at higher risk than those in non-manual social classes women who have had a total hysterectomy for other, non-malignant, reasons cannot get cervical cancer Almost half of the 3,500 new cases of cervical cancer in the UK occur in women who have never had a smear test, although only 15% have not had a smear in the last 5 years. The biggest risk factor, therefore, is non-attendance.