Smear tests are they worth it nowadays?

[Sheepsheepie]

Had my smear test at the start of the week and they only look for HPV now days which is passed on through sexual contact. Limited data suggests it can be passed on non sexual.

If your in a relationship and faithful then is there much point to smear tests now?

Only positive is the nurse can see your cervix and flag and visual issues?

Not trying to put anyone off smear tests and if you’re with multiple partners there is still a benefit (or have an unfaithful partner).

Is it putting people off going for testing?

Following, I’d like to know this too

I think I have read that HPV can reactivate once you have had it, I have definitely read about people finding out they are HPV positive after being in the same relationship or single for many years.

What I would like to know is is there any point going for a smear or would a home HPV test be enough.

My personal view is a nurse being able to see obvious abnormalities and the likelihood and them getting a proper sample is worth (what is for me) minor discomfort.

Yes, HPV can lie dormant so even if you are married or in a LTR it can show up eventually. I had normal smears until my last one a couple of years ago where HPV showed up and I had some cell changes (I’ve been with DH for 13 years).

You can pay to get hpv tested at Superdrug. I'm considering doing this as it is damn near impossible to plan for a smear with my doctors who are impossible to book in with.

For nhs, I think they just test for hpv and then rebook if it's positive. This way I can cut out the middle step

When taking a smear test we can see any abnormalities on the vulva, cervix and vaginal walls. I've referred many women to Gynae after seeing polyps or abnormal colouring. It's an opportunity to check on contraception, sexual health and I used to do BP and BMI if it hadn't been done in the last year.

Also, I’m sure there are lots of people that believe they are in faithful relationships when that may not be the case. I think it’s better for be safe then sorry

I don't know. I had HPV when I was 20. I had a smear test that age due to me recently having a baby and was recommended for one. Mild abnormal cells showed up. The next test 6 months later showed I didn't have HPV anymore. I'm now 36 and been with my husband 8 years, obviously no sex with anyone else and I've never had HPV since. At my last smear I asked about the likelihood of me having HPV and they said its still possible. But I think they are just covering themselves. They can't know if a womans husband sleeps around, of if the woman does, so it's safer to test.

I've been single for five years and have had no sex or sexual contact in that time,yet they picked up HPV three years ago and every year since. I had to go for a colposcopy in February which showed up no changed cells.
I have a fear of anything medical and a phobia of needles or anything intrusive so it was an awful ordeal and the wait after made me go into a depression, thinking I had cancer. As soon as I got the all clear I was back to normal and my old self.
I'd love to do a home test! Just knowing I have another smear due to check it's gone isn't great.

I’m really confused? I thought smear tests checked for abnormal cells?

Smear is pointless now. They take a sample but if you don’t have HPV they bin your sample without screening it. I don’t have HPV so it’s a waste of time me giving a sample they will just put in the bin.

I’ve been thinking about just getting the HPV test and only get a smear if the that is positive.

I am in a long term stable relationship that I am pretty sure is monogamous- but no one can ever say 100% can they!

It used to. Now it only checks for HPV. If you have HPV they will do the actual “smear” test that checks for abnormal cells. If you don’t have HPV they bin your sample without doing the smear test.

You can't be so certain can you if it can lay dormant ?

( that seems to be what people say?)

Not anymore @KleineDracheKokosnuss
the NHS have changed their system.
They now test initially for HPV and IF HPV is shown, only then will they test for abnormal cells.
It’s the reason I went for a private smear this year, who found results the NHS didn’t.

And for the those saying you or your partner have to be sleeping around for HPV to show up, that’s not true. HPV can lay dormant for years and resurge, and then lie dormant again, and later resurge.
So always worth getting your smear done.

I had mine done privately last year as I had other issues. I tested negative for HPV but had borderline abnormal cells. I presume that wouldn't have been picked up with an NHS smear?

I went back last week and saw the same consultant privately as I find it so painful (and the last nurse I saw at my doctors was a bitch) and I wasn't going through the pain if there was no need. Just the pain on my bank balance!

@EmptyEnvelope so can you only get cervical cancer if you have HPV?

Or is this another “ we just can’t be bothered anymore” thing?

it's impossible to prove a negative - the negative being that a partner hasn't been having unprotected sex outside the relationship.

It's always worth doing for that reason. And it's worth doing because HPV can reactivate or take time to show up after exposure. And it's worth doing because there's an opportunity for the person performing the smear to see anything unusual. And it's worth doing because it puts the woman in a safe environment where their partner isn't present, their mental health or another condition could potentially be spotted and it keeps her engaged with healthcare services so is more likely to seek/attend appointments for other things, such as breast screening, bowel screening, diabetes checks, heart health...

It's not just about HPV and the cervix. It's about a woman's wellbeing. So it's always worth attending.

It's not impossible, but it's nearly always caused by HPV (like 95+% of cases)

@KleineDracheKokosnuss
HPV causes most cervical cancers but not all. And you can have abnormal cells without HPV.

I’d imagine the change in protocol by the NHS was a cost cutting exercise.

I’m not bothering anymore , I actually don’t have an issue with smears but I’d rather pay and do the HPV testing at home as I’m averse to doing anything at my GPs anymore .

@CervixSampler - do you mean you measure BMI if women ask? Seems like a potentially vulnerable moment to do such a thing - and something that may well put women off attending?