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

I was highlighting how many women have gone through such pain and yes,perhaps indignity to have treatment and make future treatments better women to be able to access improved treatments - and when I hear of people who reject a 3 minute test that could highlight this dreadful disease amongst other disease it makes me really quite cross.
The arrogance I speak of is the refusal to have the test, the comparison to a test for a male cancer which if you have symptoms of any kind means a Dr has to perform an intimate, comparatively equal examination.

Had the OP seen someone struggle with ovarian cancer and leave a young family without their mum, or indeed had symptoms of the disease (as I have) she would be very grateful of any test whatsoever- I was on the 14 day cancer pathway last year for endometrial cancer (it was ok) and the investigations I had weren’t pleasant but it is vital for a women to access these treatments.

A little discomfort (and it’s no worse than the dentist) can save your life.

She has 'latched onto' that because that's precisely what a smear test tests for, for a few years now. That's exactly what her research has shown and so lead her to conclude she doesn't need a test.

How would you suggest she gets checked for abnormal cells changes/pre cancerous cells?

HPV is not the only cause of cervical cancer, but it is the only thing that is tested for at a standard smear test.

Non-HPV cervical cancers will usually only be detected once they have progressed enough to become symptomatic, and the woman goes to the GP to report abnormal menstrual bleeding, or pain. Because of this later detection, non-HPV cervical cancers usually have a poorer prognosis.

Why do you consider being repeatedly offered a smear you don't want as 'unfair'?

Annoying and repetitive maybe, but why unfair?

People who are evangelical about health issues I don't engage in are also annoying and repetitive, but I don't find it 'unfair' that they consider themselves a higher form of human because they eg don't eat meat or bathe in turmeric or whatever.

For anyone who is interested, there are clear instructions for the self screen here.

https://healthed.govt.nz/products/cervical-screening-how-to-do-the-hpv-self-test-a3-portrait-poster-he1167

See the thing is, you seem to have latched on to HPV as the cause of cervical cancer. It's the main cause but it's not the only cause. I'm not sure why you've said you've 'done your research' but disregarded that bit.

I'm not arsed if you or anyone else goes for any type of screening. If you do develop cancer then obviously you'll just die from it, if you won't allow anyone at the area it's in. Life goes on. You do you.

Why the thread though if you're so convinced?

To clear up some misinformation, this article points out that in Papanicolaou’s clinical trials beginning 1939:

"The researchers diagnosed 179 cases of cancer, 127 of which were cervical cancer. Nearly all the cervical cancer cases were invisible to the eye and visual inspection of the cervix and would not have been discovered without looking at cells under a microscope."

Cervical cancer is nearly always not discovered by a GP looking at a woman's cervix. Other gynaecological cancers or conditions may sometimes be diagnosed because of visible cervical or vaginal changes, but those are, I believe, usually symptomatic in other ways (e.g. pain, unusual menstrual bleeding etc), and usually only affect older women.

So these days, with HPV being all that's tested for, not cancerous cells, there's probably very little reason to have a smear test unless you're experiencing any symptoms you'd like to have checked, or are at higher risk of any other gynaecological cancers. Although of course, if you don't mind a smear test, there's no reason not to!

Also, self-tests don't require the cervix to be touched - you just have to insert the swab about 4-5cms deep, and move it around the vaginal walls gently but thoroughly for about 20 seconds. It's very simple. This can either be done at a GP's office behind the curtain (what I did at my last test) or apparently at home.

As for rates of cervical cancer in countries where self-testing is now the norm, I'm not sure, but I do know that in NZ, so many women who had avoided smears for years chose to do the newly offered self-test, that the system was swamped. Short-term chaos, but long-term a good sign, I think.

Not controversial. Decisions people make over their own bodies are their business.

They get paid for carrying out a procedure. Would it surprise you to know that many procedures are paid for separately from their basic budget. That’s how GP provision works.
No private organisation provides a service without a charge. The NHS is the same. GP practices have very different demographics so certain services are funded separately to reflect the level of provision. If every practice received the same funding for cervical screening regardless of whether they provide it or not then it would be deemed mismanagement of funds.

But HPV caused cancer does care about risk, since it's primarily sexually transmitted. The screening is for HPV and if that is absent, the smear test is binned.

Agree. Cancer doesn’t care about your risk factors. It can come to anyone and once it does you’ll be kicking yourself for not having a very simple preventative test.

I have PTSD from CSA and so I especially don’t enjoy having it done. However I’m still not stupid enough to turn one down.

It's also an option to insert your own speculum. There are blog posts by women who have done that.
There has also been a small study where this was routinely offered.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16164528/

I only found out last night because of this discussion, so many thanks to the op for starting it.
It was announced last year and the report I found last night said Jan 2026. This one says early 2026

news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/06/24/at-home-hpv-testing-cervical-screening-programme/

Thanks for this. Mine is also small and had awful experiences of them faffing around with different sizes and different positions! Just so uncomfortable and then the scrapping feeling makes me feel so nauseous and panicky. So I think it’s a physical thing but also some sensory/anxiety. I do it because in the grand scheme of things I can get through it and I’d rather not have cancer! But I ca understand that for people it will be even worse.

thanks for your reply

That's interesting! I didn't know that. Thank you for sharing. It looks like it is actually already available. My surgery certainly hasn't made me aware of that option though, as presumably self testing won't help them with achieving targets / making money.

Depends on your issues really - I have vaginismus and am also quite 'small' down there (never had kids), so need a smaller speculum. On one occasion when I was struggling a doctor used a sort of brush-type thing (I think) which was much easier, although I don't know if it's only doctors that can use those as I've never known a nurse use one. Also on discovery that I have a tilted uterus I was told to make fists underneath myself which I gather makes things more accessible, so to speak.

Sounds like they've been a bit dismissive of your pain saying to just take paracetamol, that's not great. Unfortunately, after some really bad experiences with smears in the past, I've found some people do tend not to get that for some of us smears are very painful (I suppose if a female clinician doesn't struggle with her own smears she might think those of us who report pain are making a fuss over nothing), and I think we do need to push for what we need. Hope you have better experiences in the future.

I think for virgins it is very understandable why they might prefer to opt out. I know the risk is not zero, but it is very minimal. And if you are not used to / comfortable with having something inserted into your vagina, it's not unreasonable to not want your first experience of it to be a nurse inserting a spatula. Sometimes people are virgins later in life, or indeed all their life.

That isn't what I'm talking about though? I am disputing OPs assertion that it is 'unfair' that women are encouraged to have smear tests. I haven't said anything about whether she has been treated fairly or not on this thread (I find 70% of comments on MN are rather 'unfair' or unkind)

Then I have misremembered.

Of course she hasn't. None of the people using Jade's desperately sad story to argue with OP have.

Lots of people are being unnecessarily scathing towards OP though. That’s unfair surely.

How is it unfair? If women want to undergo this 'archaic procedure' (which really is not that bad) they can. If they do not, they can either choose not to have any kind of screening at all or do a home kit as you have said. No one is holding anyone at gunpoint.

Jade had regular smears and regular treatment for cells, her first being at just 16!

I totally get that about funds being finite and totally respect that and I don't disagree. But one of my points is that woman going for smears are under the impression that a smear test is 'looking for abnormal cell changes' when for the vast majority it is simply an HPV screen and nothing more. If the OP is testing for HPV herself, she is doing exactly what the NHS do, so she doesn't need to go for smears