Cervical screening results

[autumnkate]

Hi everyone

I went for a smear test about 2 weeks ago and the nurse said she was also testing for HPV.

Today I have a letter saying my HPV test is negative and ‘This means your risk of cervical cancer is very low and there is no need to check for abnormal cells’.

Does this mean my actual cervical cells aren’t being looked at?

Is this the only result I am going to get?

Genuinely confused!

Yes. They've changed the system now. If you don't have HPV, they don't look any further (unless there are other reasons to).

Yes, if you're HPV negative they don't check the cells - Even if your symptomatic as it's a screening tool.

I was shocked finding this out earlier this year.

I find this quite worrying. Years ago I had negative HPV but I had CIN 3 cells removed by lletz. Not sure quite what would have happened if they'd just sent me on my way.

If I book a test through a private clinic would that look at cells? If the nhs one is just hpv test can't see pt of having it

This upsets me too. I had cin3 years ago and had to have a loop excision to remove the cells but now I just get checked for hpv. They’re not interested in checking my cells even with my history. It worries me

I just had exactly the same letter and wondered if I had missed something. I had cells removed by lletz a few years ago so felt great getting a negative then realised that it wasn't the same thing!

Wow, thanks ladies. I am quite shocked!

Yes, it's a new system.

If you test negative for HPV they don't do any further tests.

This worries me a lot. I think I'm going to try and go private and get it done properly next time I'm due

Yes it's the new way of doing it and it's fucking stupid. So so dangerous.

Yes.

I think it's repugnant that they don't tell women they're subjecting themselves to a pointless internal examination. It's a bit shaky in terms of informed consent.

If you had known this was the process would you have consented to the internal examination or just the HPV test in the first instance?

Yes it's the new way of doing it and it's fucking stupid. So so dangerous.

Screening programmes are about risk and mortality at a population level not an individual level. It was never about reducing your individual risk.

At a population level it's not dangerous. That's why they're doing it.

My last smear came back abnormal, but I was negative for HPV so they said no further treatment required. It was a little worrying.

@user18435677565533

Yes.

I think it's repugnant that they don't tell women they're subjecting themselves to a pointless internal examination. It's a bit shaky in terms of informed consent.

If you had known this was the process would you have consented to the internal examination or just the HPV test in the first instance?

No absolutely not

If I've tested negative since last possible exposure does that mean I don't need to go for a smear? I get confused with talk of it being dormant etc, but you'd still test positive if it was in your system right? Even if asymptomatic?

This really worries me too. Not all cervical cancers are caused by HPV. A lot of symptoms of cervical cancer can be mistaken for other gynae issues and it can take a long time to diagnose.

I used to feel reassured by going for a smear test but not any more. How many women will just stop going? Especially someone with a long term partner who may just assume they can't have caught HPV since last time.

Not sure what to do about it though.

This confuses me. My previous results said I was hpv positive but cervical screening clear. It told me my next one would be in a year as a result. Had the next one and hpv was negative.

So if you can go from positive to negative without doing anything yourself to "treat" it, surely a negative doesn't mean you've never had it?

So if you can go from positive to negative without doing anything yourself to "treat" it, surely a negative doesn't mean you've never had it?

From what I gather, you normally clear the infection out your system yourself, it's only if you don't that it increases the cancer risk? So a negative means you don't currently have it, not that you never have.

Thanks @Lellochip

There is no way I’d have gone for a HPV check alone. The point about informed consent is a good one.

It's really bad- I am one of the small percentage who has cervical cancer without HPV which means if I went for my smear now it would of missed my 6cm tumour and I would be clear as I've not got HPV! I then would of carried on with life and my cancer would of grown. It's so scary to think 'what if'.
Testing for HPV is not enough at all :(

Just to also say I've never missed a smear and they've always come back clear XX

WTF. I just had my first smear after having stage 3 cells removed last year as I had severe dykan...whatever it's called and I got this letter a couple of days ago and thought it sounded strange.

I never thought that it would mean they weren't checking for anything other than HPV. I actually feel sick.

The invitation letter is supposed to explain it (HPV Primary Testing) but I explain it to the patient during the consultation as I know many people don't read the letters and it's only changed in the last year or two.
HPV causes 99%+ of cervical cancer, so not having it means your chance of cancer is low. I was a little perturbed myself as I had CIN3 on my first smear and the joys of loop diathermy at colposcopy (never forget the smell!), but given all my smears since (10 years) have been fine and I'm now HPV negative, I'm reassured.

The nurse should have explained it to you.

@user18435677565533

Yes.

I think it's repugnant that they don't tell women they're subjecting themselves to a pointless internal examination. It's a bit shaky in terms of informed consent.

If you had known this was the process would you have consented to the internal examination or just the HPV test in the first instance?

I agree I would never have put myself through my awful smear if I had known they were not going to test the sample, I’m never going again if that’s all they do, I can get myself tested for HPV.