To remind you all to make sure your smear test is up to date?

[hellohellohihi]

A relative has just had some dodgy results. Looks like all will be ok but it's prompted me to book mine as it was overdue.... And another friend has posted on fb asking everyone to remind women they know to get it done if its due/overdue.

No one likes being nagged but I feel this is a worthy one.

Oh gawd... I know I know that I need to go... But I'm terrified.

I find them so painful that I end up in tears and I bleed for about two weeks afterwards... When you're TTC at 39, losing a whole month to have a smear seems a lot (don't really fancy TTC when I'm bleeding...).

Oh well... I will wait until after AF next month and give it a go...

Some of you have NO IDEA why some of us don't want to have it done. So please stop trying to make out there's no good reason, we'll all die if we don't have one - it DOES NOT HELP.

Thankyou.

tits yep you can bring your baby, I had mine done recently and held baby ds
whilst she did the test.

I think you need to wait for 3 months post childbirth before you get an accurate result. I think it's nice to have someone (other than dp) have a little look and check everything has gone back to normal.

JoJoBump it's 12 weeks after giving birth. Your hormones would give an inaccurate result. I didn't know and had to go back.

I desperately need to get mine done. I've never had one, thanks to moving between authorities with differing ages for starting them, then pregnancy. I need to see if I can find a sympathetic GP to prescribe me something to take first - I've an absolute fear of internals after a horrendous birth with DS1.

Fox over 99% of cervical cancers are linked to HPV. But even nuns have been found to have cervical cancer. HPV can be passed like other STIs, but some people seem to pick it up through other routes.

I saw a gynae recently (following an abnormal smear) and he said that 70% of a random group of women would test positive for some strain of HPV and about 15% of the rest would have encountered it but cleared it naturally. It's extremely common.

I totally agree although I am overdue with mine! I had the mirena coil fitted some 3 months ago and still bleeding randomly through the month. I booked an appointment but had to cancel because I was bleeding still. Its niggling away at the back of my mind that if there is a problem, I am delaying having it treated.
On the issue of pain, I have had three coils fitted and I have to say the smear is a walk in the park in comparison. Its really best to just lie back and think of England as it is momentary discomfort which is so worthwhile. I must admit I have a friend who has never had one in her life (34 years old) I used to argue with her til I was blue in the face but could never change her mind. Worrying really.

"Orla", I did ask upthread about the reasons one might have for not having a smear test but so far no-one has been forthcoming. I understand they must be very personal reasons and you may be right when you say "Some of you have NO IDEA why some of us don't want to have it done." But how are we to gain any idea or understanding if no-one is willing to tell us?

chocolatebee It's uncomfortable rather than painful but only for a few seconds...

Yes please dont put it off. I had my first one a couple of weeks ago, and results show severe dyskaryosis. Got a colposcopy tomorrow but Im so scared, and dread to think what might have happened if Id put it off.

ots, sorry to hear that. Just to let you know, I had severe dyskayosis last year and so had to go for a colposcopy. It was absolutely fine and nothing like as bad as I expected. I'd put it on a par with going to the dentist. I was treated by LLETZ on the same day and have now had the all-clear (following a repeat colposcopy and smear). Hope it goes well!

Oh...nearly forgot...I took ibuprofen before I went as it can help if you get any cramping afterwards.

Thanks larval... I'm not too scared about the procedure... Just scared that it's too late and has already become cancer (I know how rare it is but all the same there is still a possibility).

Larvel - I will tell you why I have never had a smear test.

Despite what you may read on-line or in leaflets given out with letters, cervical cancer is extremely rare. According to many sources, a woman has a lifetime risk of less than 1% of getting cervical cancer.

If you have regular smear tests, you risk false positives and further investigations such as colposcopy, LEEP etc to burn off any cells that MAY if left become cancer. Changes to cells that are CIN1, CIN2 and CIN3 are all pre-cancer cells that MIGHT become cancer. These cells are NOT cancer. A woman who has multiple LEEPs may have a compromised cervix and will have problems carrying a baby to full term.

Treatment also includes a biopsy where a piece of cervix is "punched" out with a pair of pincers with sharp teeth - often without a local anaesthetic. These biopsies are taken "just in case" and can leave some woman in extreme pain and with acute cramping.

If a woman does not have enough cells taken at a smear and the result comes back inadequate and she has to wait for the cells to grow again for another test - will she not suffer unnecessary anxiety?

A woman may have an all clear test but still have cancer because the test if not 100% accurate. The test is over 50 years old and has never been reviewed. How many other screening tests have been updated in the last 50 years?

I have reviewed all the evidence. I do not want to risk the health of my cervix with excessive treatments for a few abnormal cells they may have been caused by a brand of tampons. I refuse to live with with fear of cancer.

A woman may have regular smear tests for piece of mind. Her choice. Her cervix. A woman must not suffer peer pressure to screen. Neither must she be bullied and harassed by GPs and nurses who are paid by the Government to reach screening targets.

Oh I see, ots. Well, I know nothing I can say will put your mind at rest-That's the job of the colposcopy. But I will say good luck again and be glad that you've done the right thing. x

Ginderella, thanks for answering my question but you're wrong that the test hasn't changed in 50 years. They now use liquid based cytology which was introduced in 2008. Before then they used the PAP smear.

Not all treatment involves a biopsy either. If you're having LLETZ, you rarely have a punch biopsy as well.

Anyway, of course, you can make your own decision. Cervical cancer is indeed rare but as it is also preventable, it's not a risk I'm willing to take.

Larval - what I meant by the test not changing is that cells are still taken from the cervix (human error possible) rather than a simple blood or urine test.

STIs for example are now found by a urine test.

I haven't been sexually active for a few years. Is a test still necessary?

I agree with much of what Ginderella says. I've been having smears since I was 18 (the starting age back then) without giving it much though. Never fun, but not a particularly big deal for me.

Then I had a mildly abnormal result last year, probably as a result of some immune-moderating drugs I was taking for fertility reasons. The results letter (with advice not to get pregnant until the abnormality was resolved) came while I was on a load of drugs heading for IVF and, largely because of the timing, caused me daft amounts of stress. In the end, we walked away from the IVF cycle because I couldn't deal with both things at once. I had two colposcopies and on neither of them could any abnormality be seen, so it was essentially all for nothing.

I then had a clear result and have just had another smear, following a miscarriage. Once again it was mildly abnormal. This time I got the letter the day before starting another cycle of IVF. Once again, I have put off the IVF. Luckily, I have insurance and was able to see someone privately, quickly, for a colposcopy. This time a teeny tiny area was seen and I consented to a punch biopsy (which I have to say was absolutely fine and caused me some mild discomfort, far less than my normal period cramps). The gynae expects the results to show CIN1, at worst. So I can go ahead with my IVF.

Cervical abnormalities are "normal" in the sense that they are the body reacting to the presence of the HPV virus (which almost all of us will encounter at some point), just as the membranes in your nose react to the presence of a cold virus. I think there is a lot of overtreatment and certainly the dr I saw last year was very "LLETZ happy" and I had to argue strongly against doing it for a mild abnormality that had resolved itself within 6 months. LLETZ shortens the cervix and can cause issues with carrying to term and dilation at birth, so I strongly feel that it is undertaken too lightly by many doctors.

Part of me is grateful that we have the screening programme so that if I am one of the 3% with a mild abnormality that goes on to develop cancer, it will be caught early. Part of me thinks that it has caused me a hell a lot of needless anxiety and I wish I had never heard of the bloody thing!

though=thought

Thanks again larval... Just have to think positive now :) x

Please go for one even if you havent been sexually active for a few years. The cells can take years to change but always good to keep an eye on.

As for the 1% risk... Those are odds I just wouldnt want to take, especially if you have DC!

I had LLETZ not that long ago, for CIN3 changes and early cancerous cells.

I had left 10 years between smear tests.

Don't leave it. I won't get an all-clear till November (I bloody hope I do, anyway...)

Book a smear test. NOW. It might just save your life!!

Bump

I had one yesterday and it was a year overdue. It didn't hurt at all. I really don't know why I didn't get it done sooner. Especially because cervical cancer killed my mum.

If I had left it for another year, I dread to think what situation I would be in now...