The silence of an infection does not make it less real.
A lo largo de Chile, profesionales de la salud advierten que el bienestar sexual no puede medirse únicamente por la ausencia de síntomas. Muchas infecciones y condiciones ginecológicas avanzan en silencio, invisibles para quien las porta, hasta que el daño ya está hecho. La matrona Victoria Cancino y organizaciones como DKT Chile recuerdan que los controles preventivos anuales no son un lujo ni una señal de alarma, sino el acto más elemental de conocerse a uno mismo. En la historia larga de la medicina, aprender a buscar lo que no duele ha sido siempre el paso más difícil —y el más necesario.
- Millones de personas asumen que sentirse bien equivale a estar bien, una creencia que los médicos describen como peligrosamente incompleta frente a infecciones asintomáticas.
- Las ITS y condiciones ginecológicas pueden permanecer ocultas durante meses o años, causando daño silencioso mientras la persona continúa su vida sin sospechar nada.
- Los expertos proponen cinco exámenes clave —Papanicolau, prueba de VPH, ecografía mamaria, mamografía y tamizaje de ITS— como pilares de un cuidado preventivo que debe adaptarse a cada historia clínica individual.
- La idea de que los controles son innecesarios en relaciones estables o después de cierta edad persiste como uno de los mitos más resistentes y más costosos en salud sexual.
- DKT Chile y otros organismos trabajan para normalizar la atención ginecológica regular, desvinculándola del estigma y posicionándola como mantenimiento básico, no como respuesta a una crisis.
Muchas personas creen que si se sienten bien, están bien. Usan anticonceptivos, actúan con precaución y asumen que eso es suficiente. Pero médicos en Chile advierten que esta suposición puede ser peligrosamente incompleta. Las infecciones y condiciones ginecológicas —algunas graves, muchas silenciosas— suelen desarrollarse sin ningún síntoma. Una persona puede portarlas durante meses o años sin saberlo, y cuando los síntomas aparecen, si es que aparecen, el daño puede estar ya avanzado.
Victoria Cancino, matrona de DKT Chile, subraya que los controles ginecológicos regulares no son opcionales: son la base. Creer que el autocuidado y los anticonceptivos por sí solos protegen la salud sexual es un error frecuente. Solo un profesional capacitado puede detectar lo que una persona no puede sentir ni ver. La recomendación estándar es al menos un control anual, no solo para detectar problemas inmediatos, sino para construir un historial médico que permita anticipar riesgos antes de que se conviertan en crisis.
Los cinco exámenes que los expertos consideran esenciales son el Papanicolau —desde los 25 años, para detectar células anómalas en el cuello uterino—, la prueba de VPH desde los 30, la ecografía mamaria cuando los antecedentes familiares o factores de riesgo lo justifican, la mamografía desde los 40, y el tamizaje de ITS ajustado a la historia clínica y sexual de cada persona. Más allá de los laboratorios, el examen físico realizado por un profesional puede detectar señales sutiles que ningún análisis por sí solo captaría.
Un error persistente es creer que ciertos controles dejan de ser necesarios con la edad o dentro de una relación estable. Cancino señala que hoy atiende a personas que inician nuevas relaciones a los 50 o 60 años, quienes necesitan el mismo cuidado preventivo que cualquier otra persona. Los antecedentes familiares también son determinantes: si el cáncer cervical o mamario aparece en la historia de una familia, los controles pueden comenzar antes.
El contexto social importa. Las personas inician su vida sexual más temprano que hace décadas, y la forma en que se vive la sexualidad a lo largo de la vida ha cambiado profundamente. Sin embargo, muchas guías oficiales de edad para los tamizajes no han seguido ese ritmo. Por eso el cuidado individualizado —donde el médico conoce las circunstancias específicas del paciente— resulta tan valioso. El silencio de una infección no la hace menos real. La ausencia de síntomas no significa ausencia de riesgo. Significa, simplemente, que hay que buscar.
Many people believe that if they feel fine, they are fine. They use contraception, they practice caution, and they assume that's enough. But doctors across Chile are warning that this assumption can be dangerously incomplete. Infections and gynecological conditions—some of them serious, some of them silent—often develop without any symptoms at all. A person can carry them for months or years without knowing. By the time symptoms appear, if they ever do, damage may already be done.
This is why Victoria Cancino, a midwife at DKT Chile, emphasizes that regular gynecological checkups are not optional. They are foundational. The idea that self-care and contraception alone protect sexual health is a common mistake, she explains. Many infections and diseases send no visible signals at first. Only a trained professional conducting a physical examination and ordering the right tests can detect what a person cannot feel or see.
The standard recommendation is to have a gynecological checkup at least once a year. These visits do more than screen for immediate problems. They build a medical history. They identify risk factors. They allow a doctor to understand a patient's age, family background, and lifestyle, then determine which specific tests make sense for that individual. Not everyone needs the same exams at the same time. The continuity matters. A doctor who knows a patient's history can anticipate risks before they become crises.
The five key screenings that experts say should not be delayed are straightforward but essential. The Pap test, or Papanicolau, should begin at age 25 and screens for abnormal cells in the cervix that could lead to cervical cancer. The HPV test, which detects human papillomavirus infection, typically starts at age 30. Breast ultrasound can be recommended from age 30 onward if risk factors or family history warrant it. Mammography is generally advised from age 40 as part of routine care. And screening for sexually transmitted infections should be tailored to each person's clinical evaluation and sexual history. Beyond these tests, the physical examination itself—performed by someone trained to recognize subtle signs—can catch things that laboratory work alone might miss.
One persistent misconception is that certain screenings become unnecessary with age or once someone is in a stable relationship. This is false. Sexual activity and its associated risks do not disappear. Cancino notes that she now sees people beginning new relationships at 50 or 60, and they need the same preventive care and professional support as anyone else. Family history also plays a crucial role. If cervical cancer or breast cancer runs in a family, screening can sometimes begin earlier, giving doctors a better chance to catch problems in their earliest stages.
The broader context matters too. Sexual behavior has changed. People begin their sexual lives earlier than they did decades ago. The way people experience sexuality across their lifespan has shifted. Yet many official age guidelines for screening have not kept pace with this reality. A one-size-fits-all approach misses the actual lives people are living. This is why individualized care—where a doctor knows a patient's specific circumstances and can adjust recommendations accordingly—is so important.
DKT Chile and other health organizations are pushing back against the stigma and complacency that surround gynecological care. The message is simple: regular screening is not a sign of promiscuity or paranoia. It is basic maintenance. It is how you catch problems before they become serious. It is how you take control of your own health. The silence of an infection does not make it less real. The absence of symptoms does not mean absence of risk. What it means is that you need to look.
Citações Notáveis
One of the principal errors is thinking that sexual health depends only on daily self-care or using a contraceptive method. Many infections and conditions produce no visible signals at first, and gynecological checkups allow detection of what patients cannot perceive with their own eyes.— Victoria Cancino, midwife at DKT Chile
Today people begin their sexual lives much earlier than decades ago, and the way we experience sexuality throughout life has changed. This is why evaluating each case individually is important, beyond the ages established in some programs.— Victoria Cancino, DKT Chile
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why do so many people skip these screenings if they're so important?
Because they feel fine. And we're taught to trust our bodies. If something were wrong, we'd know it, right? But that's the trap. Many infections don't announce themselves. You can feel perfectly healthy and still carry something that needs treatment.
So it's not about being careless. It's about not knowing what you don't know.
Exactly. There's also a real gap between access to information and actual behavior. People know about prevention in theory. But there's still this low sense of personal risk, especially among younger people. The thinking goes: that happens to other people, not me.
What changes when someone actually goes in for a checkup?
Everything, potentially. A doctor builds your history. They know your family background, your sexual history, your age. They can say, 'Given who you are, here's what we need to watch for.' It's not generic. It's yours.
And if someone's been with the same partner for years?
Risk doesn't stop. People change partners at 50, 60, 70. And even in stable relationships, infections can be dormant or undetected. The relationship status doesn't erase the biology.
What's the hardest part of getting people to do this?
Normalizing it. Removing the shame or the sense that it's only for people with 'problems.' It's just maintenance. Like going to the dentist. Except we don't stigmatize dental care the way we do gynecological care.