Trans rights supporters -can we please unite on the cervical cancer issue

I'm with you op. Cervical cancer is so dangerous and so often caught late. There are very few transmen around and lots of women who need it spelling out very plainly that, generally speaking, if you are a woman of a certain age, you need to be tested.

@Pratchet, I'm inclined to agree with @Supermatchgame here. Transmen are even more likely to fail to attend screening than women, as females their welfare is in-scope for feminism, and this situation doesn't have to be a zero-sum game.

I'm not reporting your post Pratchet. I hardly ever do.

I would however like to draw your attention, again, to the collaborative nature of OP's request.

People who have a cervix are women.

Some people with cervices disagree with you; should they not be made aware of their being at risk of cervical cancer? Or must you remind them how stupid you think they're being before you find their lives worth saving?

People who have a cervix are women.

A woman is an adult female human, of the sex that gestates and bears young.

If you have another (non circular this time) definition, then post it.

To report this post for transphobia will be the ultimate controlling and predatory move. I'm screenshotting it.

If you disagree with this definition, post your own. Argue, rather than report and silence.

Pratchet: yes we are. But some PPs started talking about sex designator on health records in general and the wider potential consequences.

Where screening/treatment for gynaecological cancers are concerned, being of the female sex at birth is always relevant, no?

Supermatch, over complicating the matter is going to put transfolk’s health at risk. It’s practically impossible to see the same GP regularly these days, so the only consistency of care is going to come about through accurate record taking and sharing.

Sex ON medical records

Pratchet there was a tangent about sex of medical records further up the thread that SMG is (I believe) responding to.

The publicity should mention women only. This is risking women's lives. Men's feeling are apparently more important than women's lives.

No Pratchet - the publicity should mention 'women and anyone with a cervix'. Because Trans men's lives are as important as women's lives.

Supermatch: we are talking about CR UK publicity materials.

Your GP will still know your birth sex. But you have the right to change the official sex designation on your record.
www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/gp-practices/service-provision/prescribing/gender-incongruence-in-primary-care

That doesn't mean HCP won't ever know. Transition is still flagged on an electronic record in terms of procedures, medication and history. GPs also disclose it in referrals where it is appropriate as part of the clinical background of the patient.

A phlebotomist does not need to know the original birth sex when taking blood. (If it is obvious they will know from seeing the person anyway).

If a radiologist wasn't provided with appropriate details about a trans man it indicates that healthcare needs to be improved for trans people and those HCPs require further training. There are many trans people campaigning for this.

So hang on, let me catch up:

Cancer Research have released some info about attending smear tests that only refers to people with cervices, is that right?

And the worry is that women whose first language is not English, or those of a low education for example may not clock this applies to them?

So the suggestion is to retain the references to a cervix but to also include the word woman; so "women and anyone with a cervix"?

If that's right then abso-bloody-lutely.

Why not 'Women (including transmen and non-binary females)' or something along those lines?

Round of applause for bd67th.

I don’t want anyone to die of a gynaecological cancer if it can be avoided.

Having literally stood and watched my mother die, I don’t believe that anyone whose lives have been affected by these cancer would conclude anything else.

This isn’t about identity politics, it’s about saving lives.

The publicity should mention women only. This is risking women's lives. Men's feeling are apparently more important than women's lives.

I don't believe that many transpeople are unaware of the biology of their individual bodies.

I don't believe that excluding the word 'women' helps more people who need smears request a test it certainly won't increase the take up rate for screening.

I don't know the motivation for the wording, but it wasn't to help more women request the test.

@SupermatchGame, I would argue that your GP is one of the few people who do need to know your birth sex. There are medical conditions linked to sex (haemophilia and prostate cancer being the best-known) and your GP will be involved in transition care. It's important that your GP has all the information needed to deliver that care, including birth sex.

Sex markers can be recorded independently of preferred honorific (Mr/Ms) and preferred pronouns. And TBH if your GP is writing to you, it'll be (looking at my cervical smear invitation for reference) addressed to "honorific firstname surname" and open with "Dear honorific surname" and then use "you/your/yours", none of those troublesome gendered third-person pronouns to be seen.

Yes, my cervical screening letter says "women", but unlike the tweeter who would rather die than be misgendered, I have actually watched a relative die of cancer and I'd gladly take misgendering over painful slow death. It's also probably not a huge change to the template to make it say "women, and trans folk with a cervix" or similar.

Probably not. But it makes a good scaremongering, hate spreading tale for a mumsnet forum doesn't it.

I agree Supermatch. The CRUK wording is appalling. It will exclude women and trans men.

However stating comment stating as a fact that trans women use this service based on zero evidence beyond 1 anecdote doesn't help the cause of this thread.
.

Yes, birth sex and trans status need to be recorded on medical records. Transwomen are different to women with different medical needs. Likewise transmen are different to men.

Sorry, SuperMatchGame, but keeping ‘M’ and ‘F’ as a permanent status is far, far bigger than just smear testing and anything else does transfolk a disservice when it comes to healthcare. Of course, anyone who lives their life presenting as the opposite sex will need a note on the file to ensure respectful treatment from otherwise likely to be taken aback HCP but fear of offence cannot trump actual physical safety, as TheBadgers points out above.

Of course, the best way to avoid this is to ensure medical records state birth sex permanently

There are many reasons why this should be done, not just for smears. A doctor once referred a trans man to my workplace for a procedure involving radiation. This doctor did not inform us that the patient was trans because it was "not relevant" to their current health issues. Apparently knowing that a patient was born female and retains a fully functional female reproductive system is "not relevant" when you're about to deliver a high dose of radiation to the pelvis.

Of course, the best way to avoid this is to ensure medical records state birth sex permanently

No, the best way to avoid this is to ensure GPs do what they're supposed to do and mark their records 'smear not required'. As they do for any woman that doesn't have a cervix.

Do transwomen actually turn up for a smear

Probably not. But it makes a good scaremongering, hate spreading tale for a mumsnet forum doesn't it.

Notice the collaborative nature of OP's request.