To remind you lovely ladies to have regular smear tests.

[Lucyellensmum99]

They are uncomfortable and a tad embarrasing - but mostly, thats as bad as it gets.

This is inspired by another thread actually, so apologies, but i was horrified to read that people are still not having them done reguarly.

I say this as someone who would not be here now if hadn't had mine. That i did have a problem, but because it was caught early, it was very easily treated, outpatient job. A year later? six months even, would have been a very different tale to tell (if indeed i were around to tell it).

So please ladies, anyone due a smear and putting it off, or not had one yet - please please please make the appointment.

Risks of colposcopy include failure of the procedure, bleeding and internal infection.

There is ongoing investigation in to what age screening should start at 25 and some experts disagree with each other, however this is one of the largest and most quoted studies available www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b2968.full
which states that "Cervical screening in women aged 20-24 has little or no impact on rates of invasive cervical cancer up to age 30". I am happy to follow good evidence wherever it leads, even if it feels counter-intuitive.

Please don't put it off ladies. I currently have a smear every year for previous results & treatment. It's not nice but it is necessary.

Well im glad i had mine Robyn! yes, i bled like a stuck pig, but that was 15 years ago now and it saved my life.

My mum had a colposcopy too after them finding pre-cancerous cells. Me and my brother were toddlers at the time, who knows if we would still have my lovely mum if she hadn't gone for smears. She had no problems with the colposcopy and luckily has been fine since. S I would take the risk of a colposcopy!

My auntie (not by blood) died of cervical cancer at 34 when I was 14. She didn't go for smears. She had a son the same age as me and I'm so so sad thinking of how she missed him growing up. And for what he lost.

Read the evidence.

If you need a colposcopy then it's good to have one (benefits outweigh risks)

If you don't need one it's not good to have one (risks outweigh benefits)

Screening is not about picking up the extremely tiny number of cervical cancers in under 25s (even though any individual case is devastating for the parson and their family) at the expense of thousands having unnecessary tests. For the same reason we don't have annual total body scans to look for lots of other types of cancer.

Again thats not explaining why its different in Scotland or Wales of course it's nothing to do with costs is it!! IMO they have got it right in Scotland and Wales.

There is an age group in this country who really have been let down though, since the screening age was upped in England- the group that didn't get screened, and who were also too old to benefit from the cervical cancer vaccine. I'm just glad for my soon-to-be-born daughter's sake that she will get the vaccine. At least there is progress with that.

I can't believe I'm typing this but really struggle with smears. I'm not sure why. Rationally I know it's important, and obviously want to be here and healthy for my DCs.

I think, and I'm ashamed to write this, that I'm always embarrassed there's something wrong with my body. That I'm somehow different, ugly, or that I smell or... something. I'm worried they'll think I'm weird. I know this sounds bizarre especially as I have two children. I find VEs quite traumatic and painful and somehow worry I'm unclean in some way.

God, can't believe I typed all that. Thank god for anonymity!

This once, please don't be embarrased, is it just "down there" that you are worried about? please don't be, we are all quite different (but similar) down there, they wont think you are weird. I think people are naturally pretty self concious, but im sure to the people who work "down there" to them, its just like looking at your tonsils!

I am due one, but unfortunately seem to be stuck in the middle of an eternal period from hell (still in the fall-out stage from pg/bf and not having had one for over 2 years). As soon as this stops, I'm off for one. Thanks for the kick up the bum.

Yes, we'll I'm not overly pleased with my body in general but these specific feelings are down there related. I'm overdue a test now and just need to go but am absolutely dreading it.

Ive recently had a letter asking me to make an appointment. I'm 24, but 25 soon & I think my gp invites you once you are turning 25.

I'm dreading it though, and have been putting it off. I've had years of fertility treatments, a round of ivf and have given birth vaginally, but the thought of the speculum being inserted fills me with dread. It always hurts, it's like it catches skiing the way in, and scrapes as its being inserted. Gah I know it needs to be done though!

That's catching skin, not skiing!

I was dreading mine too ThisOnce - but it took less than five minutes, in fact i was a bit early and back home before my appointment time. I cope with these thing by thinking, "this time tomorrow it will be done" "in an hour".........."in five minutes"......

LMAO at catching skiing!!! lol what an image!

I'll sort it out and go. I've never been able to give birth naturally and have always hated examinations, think this has contributed to my feelings of being 'defective' down there. Agree with Peazly about the discomfort too, I find the speculum stings.

Thanks for the kick up the arse-I needed it and will be booking in (6 months overdue) for a mirena check and smear test on Monday. It is pathetic, but I am scared of my nutty gynecologist (live abroad, no nurses seem to do stuff like smears here).

I haven't lost my pregnancy weight, and she always makes me feel shit about it :(

But that is small fry compared with risking cervical cancer, so I will be going and dieting until my appt

Just to explain that you need to be registered with a GP to be invited for screening. I saw upthread that someone is 26 and hasn't been invited yet - if you move to a new area, you need to register with a new GP for your notes to move and then your registration on the screening database is updated.

Info about why the under 25s are not invited for screening is given in detail here

A brief explanation is that younger women have very active (normal) cells in their cervix as their body develops with puberty. Its a process called metaplasia. Abnormal cells are also very active. When a Pap test is read by the screener it can be tricky to distinguish the reason for why the cells look "active". Colposcopy can have the same issue. Dilute vinegar is used to stain white very active areas (it coagulates protein) - both metaplasia (normal) and abnormal areas stain white. You can also have both at the same time.
Essentially it can be difficult to distinguish the two and overall there was concern that this was leading to more women being at risk of overtreated than were benefiting.
That's a very simplified explanation - there's more detail in the link above which is the minutes from the government committee meeting where the evidence was reviewed.

Does anyone know how long you should wait after having a baby to have a smear test. I had DS2 14 weeks ago by cs, I am overdue as I last had a smear 4 years ago!

Ivananap
Make sure the sample taker writes on the request form that you're bf - so that the screener reading your sample can take the hormonal status into account when interpreting the cells.

Ivanna - go for your GP, gum clinic - anyone but scary clinic nurse!

Slinkysista - usually 16 weeks is suggested to give the hormone levels a chance to recover (and you!). As with my reply to Ivananap (x-posts!) make sure the sample taker records how post-natal you are and if you're bf.

Ivananap you could ask to be seen at colposcopy as they have proper couches. GU are also likely to have them.

Thanks Bela, will do

Ps in England you should get an invitation letter at about 24.5 to ensure you've had the opportunity to attend for screening by the time you're 25.
The letters are sent from call/recall agencies who administer the main database (called Open Exeter) which also records the results. This database also records vaccinations etc.

Zombie is old. She has many years of experience of smears and colposcopies. Her cervix hides. Once the speculum is inserted (and they now have various sizes so if you've had problems with that part in the past ask if they can use a smaller one) she needs to give a few good coughs to bring it into view. She has had more abnormal smear results than normal hence the colposcopies.

The colposcope is simply a binocular magnifying camera. You can watch the whole thing on a monitor. They first wipe your cervix with a dilute acetic acid (vinegar) solution. This should turn tissue with an abnormal nuclear density white. An iodine solution is then applied. It does NOT hurt. This gives the nurse / doctor a good view of any suspicious tissues. If it gives them cause for concern they may then do a biopsy. Or, they may decide to treat you there and then. Zombie has had a biopsy but never required treatment.

Last November she had a smear which showed mild to moderate dyskariosis (the measure of how abnormal the cell nuclei are). She had an almost immediate colposcopy which visually looked OK and she was put on a 6 month recall for another colposcopy. She had that in May. The visual inspection was unchanged and they did another smear. Those results came through in June. No abnormalities detected.

Please go for your smear tests. Please do not panic if abnormalities are detected. Please take care of yourselves.