Smear test - is it normal to find leaves and twigs?

I’m so so so shocked that anyone can only just be having their first smear test at 40. 😳 completely baffled actually. Like you were prime age for the jade goody effect. That’s crazy.
im so glad you’ve been, please keep going. I had no idea people out there were still avoiding this very simple and life saving procedure!!

I also thought this, as had been with the same partner for years, and unfortunately hpv can lay dormant in you for years and years and it can be triggered, I was having regular smears once a year as I had hpv, December 2023 I was border line cell changes and by December 2024 I was high grade, only took 12 months to go to cin 2, no symptoms either! So now I’ve been put back to 3 yearly, but I will have a smear done privately every year as they test your cells. X

I was always ok with my smear tests until I got older ( I have had children , 3 vaginal births )
One doctor was great, absolutely lovely and she really put me at ease.
Another time was a snippy , sneery young female GP who made me feel absolutely rubbish ( oh what’s all the fuss about , I suppose some women get all worked up about it 🙄 was her attitude)
It was extremely uncomfortable so I haven’t had one since

When they fund the abandoned Tesco trolley, that's the time to worry.

Mines tilted, they use a different instrument now that’s been acknowledged and it’s much easier and comfortable for the nurse and I!

Yes I read her book:
“The Patient Paradox: Why Sexed Up Medicine is Bad for Your Health”

Very enlightening!

Having a smear doesn’t protect you from the many other forms of cancer either.

Also it is not known whether cells found would ever go on to become harmful in a woman’s lifetime.

THANK YOU for saying this out loud.

I've long been suspicious of the 'incentives' thing - you do wonder how genuinely 'important' these screenings are when you know someone's pockets are being lined in the process.

And you're right that such screenings can cause more problems than they solve. That's another reason why I stopped going - at my last 'disaster' smear I left the surgery with bleeding and cramping, which obviously wasn't there before my visit.
It occurred to me then that this part of a woman's body is not designed to be, firstly, held open with a plastic clamp, then a plastic 'brush' inserted to literally scrape the very sensitive surface of the cervix. Nope, it's a no from me...

Same here. I've learned though that this is almost certainly down to the person doing it. Had the worst experience at the hands of two clumsy nurses and was referred to the hospital, where an actual gynaecologist (male, if that's relevant) took the pain-free smear in seconds. Wasn't even aware he'd done it!

That said, that was in 2016 and I haven't had one since they started only checking for HPV. Having been with the same partner for 30 years now, seemed like a lot of unnecessary aggro.

Same here. I've learned though that this is almost certainly down to the person doing it. Had the worst experience at the hands of two clumsy nurses and was referred to the hospital, where an actual gynaecologist (male, if that's relevant) took the pain-free smear in seconds. Wasn't even aware he'd done it!

That said, that was in 2016 and I haven't had one since they started only checking for HPV. Having been with the same partner for 30 years now, seemed like a lot of unnecessary aggro.

I had smears as a young woman, until I had a full hysterectomy.

It can be uncomfortable, but not painful.

I find mammograms much more of an uncomfortable nuisance.

I've had loads of smear tests and all have been relatively painless except for the last one I had. It was extremely painful.

I've had cameras put through my cervix to view my uterus and have had a biopsy through the cervix into the uterus in the same way.

None have been as painful as that last smear test was. I wasn't worried about it beforehand, so wasn't unduly tense. Whether on not the nurse doing it was inexperienced or not, I don't know, but I never want to experience that pain again. It was worse than childbirth.

I guess what I am trying to say is, don't assume everyone will have the same easy smear test as you.

Why are people so petty you know what I mean. I think I probably do 45+ a week so around 9,000 a year. It that ok now it’s more accurate??

Yes. I had the HPV vaccine as a preteen and my first smear test came back as positive for HPV. It doesn’t guarantee anything. For everyone talking about it only being a HPV check, it isn’t. It is also a chance for a medical professional to see your cervix (although often a small part) and the inside of your vagina to check for any physical changes that may have occurred.

HPV can also lay dormant for decades, so just because you’ve had a negative result previously and not had any new sexual partners, it doesn’t mean the virus can’t come back and cause cell changes years later. It’s very important to go.

Yep, I've had it show up on and off in 20y marriage.

It's medical misogyny at its finest. And the worst thing is, sometimes it actually comes from women themselves.

I used to find them an absolute breeze l, even with a tilted uterus and never missed one, then I had children and they became more uncomfortable. I then had an incredibly painful botched coil insertion and speculum prodding became unbearable particularly as I tensed up as soon as I knew what was coming.

I went from a chilled out, happy to be poked at girl into a nervous wreck of a woman.

I'm about 10 years overdue now and at my last GP appointment, she reminded me to book in for a smear. I said, well I'll need diazepam at the very least. She didn't even acknowledge me so I never booked it.

Women being relaxed for the procedure makes a huge difference but health professionals don't give a fuck about that.

I've had 5 mammograms and all painless, but I go through anguish waiting for the results. Pain seems to be very personal. I have no problem with smears either. However after I broke my leg and had surgery I had to inject myself daily with blood thinning meds. I found it very sore, but other people told me it was no problem, just a little prick. There's no way of knowing if mammograms will hurt you. Hopefully not, but read the leaflet outlining the pros and cons. You might decide you don't want it for other reasons.

What a vindictive post.

@SomeLikeitSnot It's good to see a nurse admitting some cases are unrelated to HPV. I've come across various estimates - 0.5%, 1%, 10% and 5 to 15%. I recently had a smear, and when I asked the nurse about the women who had non HPV related cervical cancer, who were now being overlooked, she said 'it's ALL caused by HPV.'

@User748937744 You're doing a good thing, encouraging women to have their tests.

I think most people would get that this was well intentioned OP. It's just that the societal framework for trying to persuade women to have smear testing is objectionable in itself. There are wider issues with minimisation of women's pain and with informed consent. You didn't choose that context and it's not your fault it exists, but nonetheless your post was still a product of it.

Sorry to hear that. Sounds like therapy would help. Your body, your choice of course but I think its a shame you're unable to have important diagnostic checks. Do you have children? I only ask because they will want you to be healthy and well, I'm sure.

They're always painful for me (think screaming reaction) and last time the nurse really struggled. So I just do a private urine test for the HPV virus every three years. I've never had children and never had sex, so I am very low risk.

Lucky you. I've always found them painful and it's got worse as I've got older. If I can't have it done in the colposcopy chair I won't be having another one