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.

Bella - I've had internals, camera ones including colposcopy but they can't find anything, I was told 'it's just something i have to live with'. Every time I orgasm I bleed LOTS and get this pain that words can't describe that last for a good few hours. (sorry tmi!)
But apparently I just have to deal with it. Despite one time I had to take myself to hospital because I was in so much pain.

Oh well, least everything LOOKS fine. :(

I am 24, and can't wait to have my first smear test. I missed out on the jabs at school (grateful my much younger sister has had it though) and I have been sexually active for 8 years having had 2 sexual partners. 2 vaginal births later, and both my mother and grandmother having had abnormal results resulting in hysterectomies, I am desperate to have the opportunity to keep an eye on changes down there. I don't know if my risk is low/high etc, but any risk is big enough in my eyes.

I echo everything Ariel said. I have been denied over and over for a smear, even denied a thorough investigation when I was having symptoms. Seems they thought a swab was enough testing, even though they kept coming back clear. All they had to say for themselves were "Sorry, but there is nothing we can do. The PCT will not allow us to send you for a smear." which is ridiculous, as it has been pointed out before on here when I have previously ranted about it, it isn't a screening I need, it is an investigation. But they seem to be scared to do anything like that for under 25 year olds. Just leaves us to worry until it is our turn for screening.

Shullbit if you're still having problems then I agree you should be pushing for more investigation. A smear test isn't necessarily the correct test to do - it's not a diagnostic test.
This info is aimed at healthcare professionals and gives the scheme of how bleeding (intermenstrual, post-coital etc) should be investigated.

Ghostship - I had a similar problem with pain. It turned out I had adenomyosis, this is a benign condition (it's a subtype of endometriosis info here
All I can say is don't give up pushing for more investigation.

Here is the national guidance for the assessment of bleeding in younger women. It tells you what your healthcare professional should be considering in terms of investigation.

If only they would let me have a smear :( .i ask and ask but I'm 2 years too young. Seems even if you have symptoms that could mean you need one ya still can't!

Strugglingwiththepreteenbit you do know that not all cervical cancer is caused by hpv? So just because you think you might not have contracted hpv you can still get cervical cancer.
Sometimes grown ups do need nagging.

Krumbum - if you have symptoms then a smear test is not the investigation that you need. If you read the links I've posted above they explain why it's not the right test and what the appropriate investigations are depending on your symptoms.

Re HPV has been proven to be the cause of cervical cancer - Xavier Bosch and his group have one of the most frequent cited research papers. The paper is Human papillomavirus is a necessary cause of invasive cervical cancer worldwide," (Walboomers JMM, et al., Journal of Pathology 189:12-19, 1999.
They used newer techniques to test the 7% of cervical cancers that appeared not to have HPV and then identified it.

Interview from 2008 with Bosch here
International Agency for Research on Cancer document library on HPV and cancer is here if you scroll down the page there's some presentations.

It is a pity they have not yet produced a 'home smear kit' as I think it would greatly increase the number of women submitting samples.

Delilahlilah - various self testing kits have been/are under trial.
They can be improve detection (see this review where women would not otherwise attend for screening. Another study in London

There may be limitations with self sampling mostly around taking the sample from the correct location, preservation of sample which can lower the sensitivity (the amount of disease) detected. I'm assuming improving the self sampling device and instructions is part of the ongoing work.

Im sure i will be offered one eventually. Unless the NHS needs to save money again and the age bracket gets pushed even higher.

Schrodingershamster - the screening age isn't about money alone. It's about the balance of detecting changes which are significant enough to need treatment, to minimise over-treatment of women. There has been research showing there can be some fertility issues after having a LLETZ which is why the NHS screening programme is now trying avoid young women having treatment that they might not need and are the age group who would then have fertility problems.

The link I posted at 23:39 4th Aug has a useful link where the evidence for the age at starting screening was reviewed.

Bela - thankyou for posting, you have given me some reassurance about my DD, who is 22 not being able to have smears yet, i really did think it was to do with money, im glad that there are other reasons that suggest that the likelihood of her developing the condition is less.

Is there any evidence for genetic predisposition to cervical cancer? I supsect mine was due to HPV infection (i was quite a young starter and promiscuous )

i found my last smear much more comfortable, now they use a brush thing

I agree with the proper gynea chairs being more comfortable. My coloposcopies were easier than my smears.

Anyone who needs one and is putting it off please just go, reward yourself with clothes / champagne, anything to get you through. I was lucky that the worst that happened to me was a hysterectomy, it could have been far worse if I'd missed my smears.

Ghost a colposcopy is a more precise examination than a smear, so it is good that you have had that. You can get a smear privately if your GP really won't do one. I think Marie Stopes or someone like that will do them for £70 for the under 25s. It's not cheap but perhaps a small price to pay to give you some peace of mind?

Lucy if there is any genetic element it must be tiny, so for the people saying their mother/grandmother had it, they can take some comfort that family history has little to do with their own risk. The research papers I have read indicate 99.7% of cases are linked to HPV.

I've never found smears particularly uncomfortable. I do find the patronising language in the reminder letters somewhat offputting though...

I had a private colposcopy once as there was going to be a delay over Xmas. Mum paid for it but I'm sure it was around £400. Same consultant did it though.

I had one just after DD was born, well a few weeks obviously, I found it fine in fact would take it over the dentist any day!

Personally I think the risk of young women possibly having fertility issues after a LLETZ is small in comparison to the number of young women who end up dying from cervical cancer. But that is just my opinion.

I think I would even be happy for the routine screening age to remain at 25, as long as young women who are reporting symptoms are getting proper medical treatment, as they do not even need a screening test but an actual investigation. And I'd also add to that that even if it is not routine, I think any woman under 25 who requests a smear should not be refused one, even if they are not routinely asked. If they are thinking about their health at that point I'm sure they will be able to understand any potential risks of any treatment they may receive.

Also I've mentioned it before but no one seems to know why the routine screening age is different in Scotland and Wales?

Ariel24 the main reason I post in these threads is to get people reading about what investigations they should expect to have based on NHS guidelines because they don't always get them. Often having a smear test is like asking the wrong question - you'll get an answer but it's spurious.
There's a meta review of outcomes after LLETZ here and here warning has info related to adverse outcomes of pregnancy
The link I posted 23:35? last night had the discussion trying to weight it all up.
Again I think it's really difficult to balance the rights of the individual e.g. a man concerned about prostate cancer aged 23 versus the potential harm and uncertainty that doing a PSA test could raise.

Scotland and Wales have a different policy, my opinion there is politics involved.

Personally I think there should be more public honest debate from government to engage the public about the benefits and risks of screening, what it can actually achieve. The philosophy of screening is quite controversial. The national screenjng office has a section of their site here about the principles of what if defined as a screening test, what the criteria for a disease being suitable for screening are.

Ty for your info Bela. Hopefully they will get them out there very soon. I genuinely believe it will get more people testing when they can do it themselves at home.

No problem , I've always found it very uncomfortable and painful myself, being involved in the screening programme doesn't make it easier.

Can someone please tell me exactly when in your cycle it is best to have a smear? Going to book my first today!

I'm going for mine on Wednesday. First one in about 8 years.

I am 30 and have never had a smear test.

I tried to book one a month or so ago and the receptionist wouldn't book me an appointment because I couldn't tell her when my last period was. I have a mirena fitted and haven't had a period for months so I don't know what to do.

Plop the receptionist is being an idiot. Plenty of people don't have periods for medical or contraceptive reasons. Just tell her that. Or tell her it was last week or something if she is too thick to understand the point about you not having periods. Don't let this woman be a barrier if you want one.

Ariel it's not just fertility issues. LLETZ triples the risk of premature birth according to some studies. Premmie birth can be hugely problematic for the child and the whole family, so it is a great treatment if it is needed but not something to be undertaken lightly. Potential over-treatment, particularly of young women who have an extremely high chance of reverting to normal without intervention, is a big issue. That is one of the main reasons they have pushed the smear age back.