Cervical Smears-Not to Go?

I think you’re wrong, there. They don’t automatically treat. If you have a positive hpv test but normal cells, they just repeat the tests in a year to see if everything has gone back to normal. If you have abnormal cells, they look at them more closely at a colposcopy, so they can actually visualise what is going on directly on the cervix and take more accurate tests, but may decide not to treat.

I think the system is a vast improvement on my experience, pre-hpv testing on the NHS. I had smear results that regularly cycled between normal and CIN1 (mild abnormality - they don’t treat those, as they often go back to normal on their own). I knew from private testing I had an ongoing hpv infection (the results would not have so regularly fluctuated unless the infection was ongoing), but as the NHS didn’t test for hpv then, the result was I had to have smear tests every six months (after the abnormal results) to a year (after the normal ones, due to prior abnormal history) for 10 years and never got a colposcopy during this time. I then had a CIN3 result a year after a normal one (carcinoma in situ - slightly misleading name, as it’s not officially cancer, just very abnormal cells, but it is now far more likely to become cancer and far less likely to go back to normal without treatment, and brings the fear that at colposcopy they will find it is already cancer after all). It was not until this point that I got a colposcopy. At colposcopy they paint a mildly acidic solution onto the cervix and the abnormal cells all show up white. I was more than delighted to have those cells removed after having low-grade stress inflicted on me so regularly for the 10 years beforehand. The treatment confirmed the smear test result, confirmed removal of all the abnormal cells, and I have never had an abnormal smear since, which is well over 15 years later, so the treatment was what my body needed to awaken its immune system and finally make the hpv infection go dormant.

One thing to note is, they do not actually know for certain if the body ever does actually clear hpv infection, or if it’s more like the herpes zoster (chickenpox) virus, remaining dormant but with the possibility of reactivation years later. It is more likely the latter than the former in most if not all people, which is why women who have been married for decades to the same partner can nevertheless get cervical cancer, without infidelity of either partner being the cause. That’s why it is important to keep getting tested - you just don’t know what’s going on, otherwise.

I second this. You can always do a private hpv test which you do at home yourself. If it comes back positive then think about doing a smear test. The nhs smear tests now test for hpv and only if its positive do they check cells. One reason they switched to this way is because of the risk of false positives and unnessary treatments.

Cervical cancer isn’t hereditary.

She had cervical cancer. Another person who if they hadn’t gone for their smear my kids would have been burying me too! The downsides of a false positive are completed outweighed!! And trust me the later you catch cervical cancer the far more “traumatising” the treatment is farrrrrr more than a 2 second smear. Really think out about that.

Have a read on NHS website FFS

If you react this badly, you can pay to have it done privately with gas and air/light sedation. You can also discuss this with your GP about severe anxiety preventing essential investigation and they may be able to refer you to a hospital for the same thing on the NHS. Highly dependent on the trust, but worth exploring for such important tests!

I had one smear test as a young woman back in the 80s and found it painful and have never had one since. No cancer in the family, my younger sister has had two and not had another one and my older sister like me only had one.

@the7Vabo
The rate of false negatives for Ireland was the same as for screening programs everywhere else.
It was impossible to eliminate false negatives and it still is.
Getting a false negative does not imply negligence. Mostly it’s not negligence.

Wonen didn’t understand about false negatives because the limitations of the screening weren’t communicated properly. This meant whether they could have properly consented could be called into question.

Also there was huge confusion regarding the results of an audit and how the results were to be communicated to the women involved. In many cases they weren’t communicated and this was a CervicalCheck failure. This naturally caused huge upset, though it didn’t affect the women’s medical treatment (a point which many of the public initially misunderstood).

One of the reasons some pay outs were huge (millions) was because of the scandal and the misunderstanding and the frenzy in the press at the time. It shouldn’t work like that but it seems to.
However many of the women affected have accepted €20,000 in compensation for the non-disclosure.

I’m sorry but I don’t agree. The women involved got huge court payouts for negligence.
Yes, there is a risk of false negatives but they didn’t get big court settlements because of that. They got them for negligence. It wasn’t a matter of their cases not being caught. They weren’t caught because the slides weren’t read properly.

If you don’t have a medical card, yes. But a lot of people qualify for a medical card, all under 8, all over 70, disabled, low income.

That is different to the NHS as I understand it. But it’s not similar to the US where I understand hospital admission can result in huge bills.

I don’t have a medical card. If I go to the doctor it costs me €50/€65 a percentage of which I can claim back on health insurance (which isn’t as expensive as the US). If that doctor sends me to A&E, it’s free, if I’d admitted to hospital as a public patient also free. So I could stay in hospital for months and it wouldn’t cost me anything.

Ireland has a very good breast cancer screening programme. And also screens for other cancers including cervical. All those screens are free.

There are quite a few medical downsides to false positives too.

The deaths you describe were tragic as are all cancer deaths, but were ultimately not caused by the screening service. On review it was found that Ireland’s screening service was no worse than any other from a medical point of view. They did fall down on communication though. People simply didn’t understand about the implications of false negatives and that not every case can be caught. The press didn’t seem to understand either and it turned into a huge scandal and ultimately did a lot of damage.

You do need to pay to see a GP unless you’re in certain groups (ie young children, older people, people on a low income, people with certain medical conditions etc).

I had a smear done a few months ago, I didn't feel a thing. A little brush type thing was used to take the sample. It was certainly not like the old days when those wooden things were used, now those could be painful.

Cervical smear testing is free in Ireland though. So are mammograms, bowel screens (for certain age groups) as well as all childhood vaccinations etc.

Do you have to pay to see a doctor?

You can buy home testing kits from super drugs.

https://onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/hpv-test.html

You’ve been offered free screening for cancer so just go and stop posting online about it

Your cervical screening results - NHS

I’m Irish. Our healthcare system is not like the US.

We have a public health system. We also have a private health system similar which can get your faster access, different hospitals etc.

It is not like the US. If you go to A&E in a public hospital & you need to be admitted and you don’t have health insurance you won’t be charged.

Cervical smears are free. Ireland has several cancer screening programmes. All free.

I'm absolutely in support of choice, and I do appreciate it may be difficult if you've had negative experiences in the past. A smear test may also be challenging for those who have been assaulted in the past, as an example. If you have concerns, I'd suggest sitting down and explaining them. Ultimately, you can choose whether or not you're tested.

Personally, I've had 4 additional examinations and tests following a dodgy smear. I've only needed minor treatment once, but I have always been grateful for the extra testing. After four kids and no real issues gynaecologist-wise, I'm very much of a 'feet in stirrups, let's press on' mind set, and it doesn't really bother me. I suspect half the medical North have seen my lady parts by now lol. But that's just me. If you're uncomfortable and concerned, that's ok - just bear in mind that this is in place to identity problems sooner rather than later, hopefully resulting in a better outcome for those diagnosed with cervical cancer.

In Ireland healthcare is not free. They have a similar system to the American health are system.

There was a high profile cervical smear scandal in Ireland. Several women died because their smears were read as negative when they weren’t. One man said his wife died in agony and they had two young boys.

I think because it was so high profile in Ireland I find this thread very triggering.

Ive never heard of anyone dying of a false positive. Get the test, you are privileged to be able to.

They open the hole and then swab you. They're invasive in this country by the sounds of it. I do think our health system needs modernising Europe is much more advanced than us in female medical care.