Reasons you're avoiding your smear test

[loulousilver1]

Hi all.

While I know I am asking for personal reasons as to why women are still missing/not booking/ avoiding their smear tests there is a reason. I am interested as I work as a social prescriber and would like to use my job role ways to speak to women about having this done.

I recently had a smear test after avoiding it for nearly 10 years, this has now resulted in me attending hospital appointments with the world and its wife looking at my fuff!

I thank you in advance for your responses.

[nursejekyll]

I recently had mine after avoiding for several years - my GP gave me the kick up the arse that I needed. I avoided due to time limitations with work and family life but mostly because I hate them.

[LindaEllen]

Because I have anxiety and I just can't make myself do it.

I am lucky to be able to afford an at-home HPV test which was negative, but given that that's what they test for in smears now, and a negative result would have meant the sample was deemed clear, I guess it's just as good.

I have had one smear 5 years ago which was normal, so that plus the negative HPV test is more than enough to put my mind at rest.

[WetJan]

I had my last smear unexpectedly at my 6 week check pp. I wasn't expecting it, but the GP was terrifying so up on the table I got. Awful technique, totally made me understand why women are reluctant. She did my coil insertion too and it was horrible.

I've moved practices and I really miss my old practice nurse who was incredible. I wonder if it would be weird to send positive feedback to my old GP practice about her speculum skills

[Einszwei]

My experiences have been very positive. My practice nurse is fantastic, and the test has never been uncomfortable. However, I am always late booking as life gets in the way.
I wish there was a drop in smear service available!

[WilliamMorrisdancer]

I am interested as I work as a social prescriber

What's one of those?

[GalOopNorth]

I hate them
They are (for me) painful
I am embarrassed and uncomfortable having it done
I am overdue one, can’t bring myself to book

And I have had 3 DC, so am accustomed to indignity.

[Chicchicchicchiclana]

Just the pain.

[Oblomov21]

Avoiding. Hate then. Find then incredibly painful.

[WilliamMorrisdancer]

me attending hospital appointments with the world and its wife looking at my fuff!

If you do want to help women then stop using silly words like "fuff" - use proper words like vagina. By "the world and his wife" do you mean a team of medical professionals?

[OldRailer]

I was unable to book at my GP surgery as the system would not let me book unless weeks ahead at which point I would not know which point in my cycle I was at.

[PanamaPattie]

Have you considered that grown up intelligent women may have made the choice not to take up the offer of optional screening?

[OldRailer]

There is that too.

[JamieFrasersAuntie]

I stopped having them after I became aware of the shockingly high rates of false positives.I also object to the coercion and guilt used on women and the financial incentives for GPs.

[strawbmilk]

I had a horrible first one which the nurse shouted at me as she couldn't do it and had to get the doctor to come and do it. The the pair of them were pretty nasty to me. The more the shouted at me to relax, funnily enough didn't make me relax...knobheads

I've actually booked for next week after dodging it for a few years with being pregnant not going then pregnant again. DS was born just before lockdown so with covid I put it off again.

It's actually my DH that has pushed me to do it as he saw the reminder letter

[FeistySheep]

Because me and DH never slept with anyone else. Therefore we cannot have HPV (and yes I know that in theory person X and person Y could both shake hands having coincidentally both touched their genitals in the last five minutes and then person X could go off and touch their genitals again and thereby get HPV from person Y, but this is so unlikely as to be laughable).
The NHS test in Scotland tests for HPV. If you test positive for HPV they then test for abnormal cells. They do not test for abnormal cells is HPV is not present. Therefore, if I have one of the 1% of cervical cancers not caused by HPV, the test won't pick that up anyway.
So for me, it's a waste of my time and NHS resources. If either me or DH had ever slept with someone else I would get a smear like a shot.

[JamieFrasersAuntie]

still missing/not booking/ avoiding.

I wonder why you have chosen these words?

How about don't want/ chose not to/ informed choice?

[Notabove25]

Do you mean women are avoiding them currently or women are avoiding them generally?

It is a thoroughly unpleasant experience but over very quickly. TBH when I'm overdue it's much more that I haven't prioritised booking it than that I'm actively avoiding it.

I do wonder if an actual appointment arrived in the post (or some other way) rather than a reminder, that might get a bigger take up, with people having to contact to rearrange if the time's not convenient. I suppose that would result in more missed appointments, but over time you'd know how much you can "overbook" to allow for that.

I agree with PP you're using very odd language for someone who apparently works in women's health.

[BlackSabbath]

At my last smear the nurse was so rough inserting the speculum she made me bleed. Then I got a letter saying because of the blood mixed with my cervical cells, they needed me to go back so they could get another sample.

Thanks but no thanks.

[Zesting]

I've been raped and being penetrated can be triggering to me, Medical stuff is particularly traumatic, I have no idea why. I couldn't have an internal examination when pregnant because my vagina just physically shut and i imagine a smear test will be much of the same.

I dont want to have to disclose my rape in order to defend my medical choices

[Avaganda]

I've only had 3 and have been lucky enough to have positive experiences so far. I'm terrified of leaving my children without their mum so that's what gives me the kick up the bum to book it. I had one on Monday and it was great, a proper day out

[slidingdrawers]

What is the remit of your role in terms of the cervical screening programme?

[QuentinWinters]

Hate them, they hurt and speculums are medieval. The whole thing needs dragging into the 21st century to make it less painful and intrusive, rather than telling women they are the problem for hating it.
I do have them but try to do it at the same time as other gynae stuff where poss

[JamieFrasersAuntie]

Sounds to me you plan on "encouraging" women into having this screening even after they've declined.

I complain when I am coerced or pressured into these tests. Some healthcare workers don't understand informed consent and far too often they do not understand the risks involved with these tests.

[Dkfhenzkghsm]

@JamieFrasersAuntie

Sounds to me you plan on "encouraging" women into having this screening even after they've declined.

I complain when I am coerced or pressured into these tests. Some healthcare workers don't understand informed consent and far too often they do not understand the risks involved with these tests.

Yup.

Traumatised women don't need an ignorant person 'speaking' to them. They need healthcare professionals to fuck off and educate themselves about trauma and legally valid consent, then change the way they care for people so that it is trauma informed.

[PuppyMonkey]

My last two were horrendous experiences, painful, difficult, rough. I was told I would only need to have them every five years from now on as I’m over 50, but quite frankly I don’t think I’ll be submitting myself to that again.

I bet OP was expecting us all to say we were “shy” and “embarrassed” and were just need to get over ourselves.