I’ve never had a smear test and I don’t want one either

Sorry…stupid question I know…seeing women say very similar to what exactly under the worst of circumstances?
I don’t follow.

Working as clinical support in gynae clinics/wards for several years, seeing women say very similar, under the worst of circumstances all I can do now is shake my head.

In that OP says she is having HPV tests, which apparently the NHS are going to be bringing in in place of smear tests anyway at some point, I actually think it doesn't sound all that unreasonable. Presumably if OP's HPV test ever showed positive she would then have to consider her options and as she has a child I hope in that situation she would agree to further investigations/treatment if needed. Hopefully that will never happen though.

… this is a thread where some people
believe Jade Goody died because she didn’t have a smear test, that samples are still
screened visually and that the act of going for a smear covers off a whole range of gynaecological issues; so the bar isn’t exactly set high.

Exactly. @Eightdayz is embarrassing themselves at this point! 😬

Yep this. I can't believe anyone - in 2025 - takes this stuff seriously anymore. I'm embarrassed for them tbh.

Yes if it wasn't making me ill Same as if I had recurrence of cervical cancer. I wouldn't be going through treatment that made me Ill for the sake of living longer . I'd prefer a shorter life that doesn't involve endless doctors and hospital especially if I was in no pain.

So if you did get breast cancer, would you just accept whatever fate that delivered?

Nope you're definitely thinking of the Darwin awards. It's worth learning what social Darwinism means if you're going to use it in arguments as it can have quite unpleasant undertones that I don't think you mean.

See ibe not been offered a mammogram as yet ( dont know what age they start) but would be unlikely to have it. Ive already had enough bits chopped out and after effects due to the cervical cancer. I wouldnt be prepared to do it again for breast cancer espe ially if i had no sypmtoms and it had to be discovered by random screening

Nope. Social Darwinism is the viewing of societies as organisms which are subject to natural selection/survival of the fittest. The theory was used to support a lot of nasty stuff tbh. Now discredited by anyone serious, thankfully.

No. Social darwinism is the concept that a person is aiding "the natural selection of species" by their own negligence, recklessness or stupidity.

I.e not electing to having a procedure that could save you from a premature death.

It also seems a particularly bad idea for a smear test advocate to moot given that much cervical cancer is sexually transmitted. The potential negative implications of that one should be obvious.

Yep. As someone said earlier, it's a slippery slope. If you're going to refuse treatment for women who refuse smears/breastscreening, (if they get cervical, or breast cancer,) then we need to refuse treatment to anyone who smokes, drinks alcohol, takes any kind of recreational drug, drives, does any kind of contact sport, and any sport that involves risk, and let's chuck cycling in there hey, and why not skateboarding too?! And also we must refuse treatment for ANYone who has a BMI over 32. They brought the ailments/illnesses on themselves by being obese right.........? (Oh, and definitely refuse treatment to men who refuse a prostate examination!!!) 🙄

It's bad enough that women were forced/bullied/blackmailed into cervical smears 20-25+ years ago, with the threat of withdrawal of the birth control bill if they didn't comply.

Utterly disgusting practice, forcing women into risking getting pregnant if they refuse the smear, and turning them into nothing more than cattle, and brood mares.

Thank GOD it is not a thing now. Though if this thread is anything to go by, some posters would happily have this disgusting practice brought back. Same ones who work for companies who refuse to employ women unless they have a cervical smear probably! (I am still waiting for someone to tell me who this employer is, but I won't hold my breath.)🙄

.

Fine that’s your decision. I’m not sure why you have posted, are you wanting a discussion, people to try and persuade you to have them?

I work in healthcare and we always respect the decision of each individual on their own health choices, whether to have tests and/or treatment.

My own view is I’ve had cancer. It was brutal but could have been worse. I always have had (and always will have) all the screening tests offered to me. Smear tests, mammograms and stool screening. None are pleasant but if they detect cancer earlier it’s far easier to treat.

PP wouldn’t be able to “make sure they and nobody they knew applied there, and look into them” without a company name.

I may have gotten that wrong, but if they were after a business name, I’d be very shocked if anyone was comfortable sharing that here.

I don't think anyone is expecting that poster to disclose that she works for WHSmith in Maidenhead. More that, say, she serves in the armed forces or is a glamour/lingerie model

In the UK (and the US), it is generally unlawful for a company to insist on a mammogram (or smear test) as a condition of employment/continued employment. Other tha. For occupations I struggle to identify, non-job-related medical procedures are not generally permitted and can lead to employ,ent claims.

Mohammed Fayed used to require gynae exams carried out on his female employees. There was some surprise, distaste and dismay when this was revealed

I don’t think anyone is going to disclose their employer on the internet.

Didn't really answer the question I asked though did ya?

I said who on earth is this employer who will very likely refuse to employ a woman if she doesn't have a cervical smear? That is bizarrely controlling and manipulative, and I am interested to know, so I can make sure that I - and everyone I know - NEVER applies for a job there. I would also like to know so I can look into them, and see if what they're doing is illegal/discriminatory.

Frankly, that practice sounds fucked up to me, and archaic - but also like something out of a dystopian novel. Sounds like a plotline in Handmaids Tale....

.

Because statistically, breast cancer is significantly more common among women - 1 in 7 women at some point in their lifetime according to gov.uk and Breast Cancer UK. In contrast, cervical cancer has an incidence rate of 1 out of 142 women in their lifetime

I thought the article below (from the Irish Health Service Executive) was interesting, though it’s a few years old now. It says that research in the Netherlands has indicated that self-swabbing is about 6% less sensitive than getting a professional to do it, though the addition of self-swabbing is very positive from the pov of reaching previously unscreened populations. The reference to the research is included too (haven’t had a chance to look at it yet).

https://www2.healthservice.hse.ie/organisation/nss/news/self-sampling-for-hpv-testing-and-cervicalcheck/

Aye, just like we should get people to sign disclaimers that you're not eligible for NHS treatment for certain 'life style' related illness. Hello, people with lung cancer, Type 2 diabetes, cardio vascular disease, osteoarthritis/worn out joints. Or reckless driver mangled in car accidents

< edited to say I was being sarcastic >

My last 2 were both very unpleasant but I still will carry on getting them , I don't feel morally superior just terrified that I'll get something that is easily treated if caught but deadly if not.

It would indeed. Clearly the quality of the forum is a completely different point from whether anyone gives a shit, however.