Smear test - need advice!!

[louhasalittleman]

I have a six month old baby, and have been breast feeding until last weekend.
Although I have had three periods the last one was at least 6 weeks ago.
I booked a smear as I am well overdue for one, hoping it would fit in with my random cycle.
However it is tomorrow, and I'm not sure whether to go or not. It is very unlikely I am pregnant, but worried that I should wait longer until I have had another period.
(I am on repeat smears after a colposcopy.)
Any advice gratefully recieved!

[SilveryMoon]

Erm, I don't really know. I had a smear test years ago (have had another since) and found out the following week that I was pregnant.

[A1980]

I can't see what difference it would make to wait until the next period.

if you're on repeat smears, I'd get it done asap.

[CoteDAzur]

My recollection is that you are supposed to wait until after breastfeeding is over for reliable results.

When you say "previous colposcopy", do you mean that you had a CIN I, II, or III smear test result, then confirmed it through colposcopy & biopsy? Then what happened? Was the dysplasia taken out?

[phipps]

I had a similar issue and the nurse did a pregnancy test there and then though not sure why as I wasn't late. She did the smear and it turned out I wasn't pregnant anyway.

Ring the surgery in the morning and ask.

[louhasalittleman]

Think it was II, and cells were removed, this will be smear no. 7, all have been clear since.
Will see what the nurse says, but just hate leaving it longer as it is playing on my mind.
My cycle was completely irregular before pregnancy due to PCOS as well.

[rabbitstew]

What's the problem with going ahead with the smear if you aren't bleeding????? You could even do a pregnancy test, then they can write on the sample form that you have only just stopped breastfeeding and whether or not you are pregnant, so as to give the cytologist an idea as to what to expect when reading the cells.

I breastfed for over a year after the birth of each of my dss, but was on annual recall following a previous abnormal smear. My smear test results went from normal to CIN3 in the space of time between getting pregnant with ds2 and 6-months post his birth, so I'm glad I didn't wait until after I stopped breastfeeding (and nobody ever suggested that I should, either, as that would have resulted in a gap of almost two years between tests instead of one).

[BelaLugosiinStripes]

Hullo, I work in a screening lab.
Samples can be slightly more tricky to read when breast feeding, due to the hormone levels. As rabbitstew rightly says, so long as the sample taker writes it on the request form its a big help!


As you're on annual follow up then I'd suggest going in and see what they say.