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

Yes it kinda is.

Sex when aroused is completely different to a speculum in a medical setting and someone scraping your cervix. Alluding that a vagina is an open all hours for any situation because it was broken in by a penis during consented intercourse is grotesque.

Very sorry to hear that. Clearly the cancer recurring poses the higher risk. Somebody suggested upthread that wedemand brain scans in case we get brain tumours so I was just looking up risks vs benefits stuff

You have no idea what the result would be if she'd picked something else.

It's about the gazillionth time there's been threads about smear tests. The "twigs and leaves" reference is bizarre.

The OP comes across as smug and self satisfied. The reference to "twigs and leaves" made me think of a brutal rape and murder case and I clicked on it wondering why someone would (be so stupid to refer to it) use it.

They don't look at the cells if the swab is negative though so it makes no different.

Yes, she could. But many posters are here because of it.

Your post makes no sense. The OP could have made her points without the stupid click- bait title.

no. It’s really not. At all.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and have had a mastectomy. I have a full body scan (CT) every year and MRI every couple of years because the cancer has a high incidence of recurrence anywhere in the body. Which do you think poses the most risk ?

And potentially life saving for someone who doesn’t realise they may have the early stages of cancer. Which do you think is more important ?

She might well have been! I was pretty stunned she said that. It would have been one thing if she'd been asking for diagnostic purposes, which I originally assumed she must be, but nope, turned out it was her idea of small talk. I'd much rather have discussed the weather!

yes, I’m not sure why the consultant said GA, heavy sedation would also be possible.

Gas and air doesn’t work for me. I’ve had it twice. Once in a road accident, once when being induced. It does nothing to me. No light headedness, no euphoria or giggles, nada. Certainly no pain removal. My issue is also that I tear so any form of sedation etc would only be putting off the moment of waking in a blood puddle and in pain, then the pain of healing, splitting, healing. I can tolerate transvaginal scans no problem. It’s the extension of the speculum and associated manoeuvres that is the key issue with a smear.

I was asked if I wanted to do a pilot scheme which women can do their own at home. I decided not to due to above uterus.
The home one is just a swab nothing like at the drs

Gas and air didn't take away the pain of labour for me (with any of my 3 babies), it just helped me calm down enough to breathe through it! But then I always need two jags when I go to the dentist and extra pain relief etc, so maybe it didn't do the job it was meant to for me.

They are always worth getting. I know someone who went for a routine one recently and it caught cancer. I've got 3 years to wait for my next one (Last was in 2022) but I have just had a biopsy to check for cancer. I think we are so lucky in this country to have these tests at our fingertips, yes they are painful, but not as painful as having cancer.

Yes, completely bizarre. There aren't many posts on MN that make me think I must have misread, because you get such weird stuff that it becomes the norm, but this is one. Surely the nurse was aspergic or something.

@JonnieSeagull I'm puzzled as to why a GA would ever be given for a smear. Why not just sedation? That's used for some procedures like camera down throat or up bum. But for something like a smear surely gas and air is all that's needed for women who suffer. It takes away the pain of labour, after all. It's very confusing that the 2 docs have such differing ideas about the importance of screening.

So bizarre, stunned that people feel comfortable talking like this to someone.

Totally agree we should be encouraging young women to get tested, not scaring them half to death! Yes it's uncomfortable, yes it's awkward as hell and in some cases maybe a little painful but it's necessary for your health and important to get tested regularly especially when it's being offered to you. For myself and the majority of women it is painless and when I say painless I don't mean you lay back and feel nothing.. it's uncomfortable and not a particularly nice but it's also over so quickly! For me personally Ive always had them regularly and have never had a bad experience, slight discomfort but no pain or bleeding and in and out with 10 minutes. I understand this isn't the case for everyone but young women have to see that those women are the minority and be positively influenced by the majority who have better experiences.

I’m ‘built small’ down there, so to speak, and was once asked ‘Can you actually have intercourse?’ by a woman performing a transvaginal ultrasound. Um, yes thanks, not that it’s any of your business. Why do they think it’s OK to be so personal??

I went to my last one as my sister had some abnormal cells on hers. I find them incredibly painful which I've been told that it's because I have a retroverted uterus.

I was asked if I wanted to do a pilot scheme which women can do their own at home. I decided not to due to above uterus.

Not all. I’ve had the best experience this year with a female gynae on the NHS who operated on me for endo
my consult was 40 mins and she worked with me to find the best options. She did my smear and fitted a coil during my lap, while having to cancel all the other surgeries as mine turned out to be so complex

I have never had such thorough explanations, letters and felt so listened to by any medical professional before and she took the time to spend over 8 hours operating on me to get it right

I have had some extremely painful smear tests. And I would say my pain tolerance is about average. After the very first one I had, which was the least painful one Iin my late 20s, I got home and fainted. My mother rang the Doctor Who said this is not uncommon. Because the nerve and that area are very sensitive I also have a friend who said that when she left her doctor surgery after a smear test the previous patient had fainted.. another friend of mine who I would say has a high pain threshold said she had to stop hers because after about 20 minutes of stopping and starting she she thought she too thought she was going to pass out. For many women, it may be straightforward, but I’m not one of them!

Stupid, click bait and potentially really offensive for anyone who remembers a reports about a horrendous rape case.

No, it’s not from 40. It’s still offered from 25. You’re welcome for the info 🙂

I’m not surprised you found that so difficult at such a young age and sorry to hear that was your experience.

That’s a great thing ! Hopefully when I next need doing I will be able to do from home.