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

Well yeah - so pretty silly to tell her nobody gives a shit.

She literally posted on a forum asking for opinions ("Am I Being Unreasonable?").
If nobody took the time to respond (either positively or negatively) then it would be a pretty shit forum

My personal stance is that I have always and will always take advantage of the tests, but at the end of the day, and irrelevant of the reasons why, it simply amounts to the level of risk you are prepared to accept by not being screened.

it doesn’t simply amount to the risk of being unscreened. The OP is not unscreened because she has done an HPV test and she is posing a valid question about how the test can be made more accessible in an alternative format to people who struggle with it.

Asking for a friend are you? 😅

Not the point of the thread, I know, but where are you finding all these virgin men?

And also the risk you are prepared to accept by being screened. Some of these apply to all women, so everyone ought to be aware of the possibility of being offered treatment that wouldn't ultimately be needed, and they can weigh this up however they wish. Others are age related, so a 60 year old doesn't need to bother considering the link between colposcopy and preterm birth but a 25 year old who plans a family does.

They don’t “refuse to employ” if you decline. The doctor doing the medical has to record the fact that you declined, which may, or may not, affect the offer.

I’m a partner in a law firm. It’s standard practice for law firms to require new partner hires (at least if you’re coming into the equity) to have a medical as part of the offer process; just as it’s normal that all partners have to have a medical every year. The role of a partner is to bring in work and generate fees for the firm. If it looks like you’re going to have a long spell off sick and the risk of that can be identified before you join, then it wouldn’t be a good business decision for the firm to have you join.

Equity partners are not employees; they are self-employed and work together as partners. So this is not a requirement of an offer of employment in the legal sense of the word “employment”.

My friends company did one that included a mammogram which she hadn’t had because of her age. Breast cancer. They did full pay when she was off plus any private treatment she needed too
she’s v grateful!

Interesting! That makes sense. Personally, I've never had anything else spotted during a smear test (the most interesting thing was my GP explaining the changes in cervical positioning during the menstrual cycle).

I wonder how frequently other asymptomatic issues are actually picked up on - there doesn't seem to be any data on it!

Yes, that's a fair point - I can appreciate that it may not be as straightforward for every woman and that is unfortunate, but there are measures that can be put in place during the appointment to make it more tolerable - it's important that women are proactive and explore these options with the GP practice if it is a significant problem.

My personal stance is that I have always and will always take advantage of the tests, but at the end of the day, and irrelevant of the reasons why, it simply amounts to the level of risk you are prepared to accept by not being screened.

I think the idea is to offer it as an alternative to increase accessibility for those who face barriers. The OP is autistic and struggles with the test for sensory reasons, other women face severe pain or are dealing with past trauma. Maybe it’s not the ‘gold standard’ but it’s a very good alternative.

Both myself and my mum have had other issues picked up by the practitioners doing our smears.

I wouldn’t remove the “human element” for that reason. I’ve not asked her, but I’m sure that’s the case for her too, or she wouldn’t go.

I'm curious to know what makes it more worthwhile than a vaginal HPV swab, though, if that were available through your GP?

Of course it varies. People experience different forms of pain in diverse ways both mentally and physically. I don't give a shit about the dentist, for example. Apparently I was never a bad teether as a kid either so it's probably physical. Other people find the whole experience agonising, even before taking into account fear.

I think it must vary.

Mine are nothing more than a mild inconvenience. Not comfortable, but not overly painful either. I’ve nipped out at lunch for it before.

My mum, on the other hand, books the day off for hers, often the day after too, and takes painkillers both before and after.

It has however always been my view that even for people like my mum, it’s still worth it. The pain, is worth the gain.

The answer is very clear.

It is much more - and much worse - than less than a few minutes of mild discomfort to many women. It's very narrow minded to assume that what is a simple, quick, straightforward procedure for you, is the same for every other woman.

I’m young enough to have had the vaccine but I still go for mine. I always remember Jade Goody tbh and it’s enough to scare me into it. They’re not that unpleasant, it’s over and done with in literally a minute.

Give me strength! 🙄

What on earth is this job, that refuses to employ a woman, unless she has a smear test? Do they also refuse to employ men if they don't have a prostate exam?

I was sure I'd read about how the US' insistence on women having pelvic exams as a routine was counter productive so that makes sense to me.

So it looks like we are very much circling back to there being no reason to have a smear test if you have a negative HPV test.

That's very interesting, thanks for posting.

This with bells on

They have only checked for HPV only since about 2019

Ah, from a quick Google it's clear that a pelvic exam isn't considered a standard part of a smear these days.
But apparently Australia has issues with unnecessary pelvic examinations being performed during cervical smears in Australia, a practice that is now officially discouraged and recommended against.

"Don’t routinely do a pelvic examination with a Pap smear.": "During a routine cervical smear (Pap test) for screening (i.e. no symptoms), a bi-manual pelvic examination has no proven benefit, as it has not been shown to improve the detection of ovarian cancer or to benefit other outcomes. [...]
A recent US review concluded that no data supports the effectiveness of speculum or bimanual pelvic examinations in the asymptomatic, average-risk woman. The procedure causes pain, fear, anxiety, and/or embarrassment in a third of women and can lead to unnecessary, invasive, and potentially harmful diagnostic procedures."

If you are self-assured that you are making the right decision, why are you seeking validation from strangers on Mumsnet?

And with regard to your question: "why do they persist with this archaic procedure when there are other options available"?
The answer is very clear. Because less than a few minutes of mild discomfort is the most effective way of potentially saving your life...