Anyone had a false negative smear?

[HangingOver]

I've had positive smears for the last 15 years. Multiple colposcopies and 1 lletz procedure. My last doctor said for whatever reason so people just can't shift the virus. The smear I just had has come back negative. I was initially delighted but now I've thought about it more I'm slightly suspicious. Maybe I should just pay to have another done to out my mind at ease, as due to the negative result the next one is not until 2024 now. Can't work out if I'm being silly or not.

Do you mean HPV negative?

Or cell changes?

The timing of cervical screening is because of how slowly cell changes occur and progress. Most cell changes don't ever become cancer. Cell changes don't mean you have cancer and don't mean you will develop cancer.

Don't forget cervical screening is not a test for cancer. (the NHS pages clearly state this too). I think you might be over-worrying due to some of the intense messaging around cervical screening and some of the common misconceptions about what it is and what it finds.

If you've spent 15 years feeling on high alert because of the frequency of your screening etc, it will take a while for you to feel "safe" that you don't need to be anymore. The brain is risk averse and takes much longer to learn/accept that something is now safe than the reverse (which is pretty much instant). Therefore when things change in a good direction like they have for you it can take a while to stop feeling anxious and "at risk". Essentially your brain is demanding lots of extra proof that you're safe, whereas it will accept you're in danger with a tiny amount of proof (or none at all!).

So your feelings are normal. I think you just need to give yourself a bit of time to process it and reassure yourself rather than going off in a panic trying to get procedures your medical team don't consider, in their professional judgment, that you need.