To think the nurse could have given me a smear test?

[Confused27]

Sorry if this is TMI for anyone - I hope I have given enough info in the thread title to allow people to avoid if necessary!

I am 27 and still a virgin. Combination of some fairly strict religious beliefs in my early 20's and my failure to find anyone I like enough to have sex with in my later 20's. I don't have a problem with it.

Because I have never had sex I have never had a smear test.

I went to the doctor's a little while ago and they were very very concerned about my lack of smear test. They said that whilst the risk was much lower for me it was not non-existent and I was playing "a dangerous game with my health" by not getting one.

So I went to the nurse last Friday to get one done. I was braced for it to be pretty uncomfortable but was prepared to put up with it.

Nurse promptly told me there was absolutely no way they could give me a smear test as there was "no chance of getting it in with you being a virgin". She also questioned whether I wanted the "first thing up there" to be a metal stick rather than a penis.

Personally, I don't care. I'm more bothered about my health. I pointed out what the doctor had said and she replied "well, that's what happens with virgins".

I've been left pretty confused and actually quite annoyed about the way I have been treated. AIBU?

I am really upset a nurse who should know her area, doesn't know that virgin or not you need your smear.

I was called for a smear as a 20 year old along with the entire nurses home I lived in (about a 100 of us), I decided not to go as I had only started having sex 2 months before, I ended up going as a 17 year old friend in my set had a bit of a melt down about it and wanted a pal to go with her, (she had been active since 13) so I went, ended up having a colposcopy.
when I got the letter after the second smear I was so upset I went to my Occupational Health to ask the nurse what it meant, why? unfortunately no nurse available but the doctor was, he read the letter and said, I shit you not..."your only worried because people will know you are promiscuous" I burst into tears and said but I'm not I made up for lost time in the intervening years
I told the consultant gynae about this and he lost his cool, and had a long rant about how the doctor should come into his clinic and explain this to the 2 Nuns who where next on his list flynt so glad to see your post first
I found out from the nurse in the clinic the consultant gynae made an official complaint about the OH doctor apparently his punishment was to attend a study session and apologise to me I am still waiting 24 years later.
I then had to have a second colposcopy at 30, apparently i have since learnt you can be born with virus

My Mum although a virgin on marriage she told me, my Dad was 10 years older and definitely wasn't.

My Mum had both cancer of the vulva and cervix and only went for a smear after I did due to my diagnosis as she had thought, well I have only had one partner.

this nurse needs a course fast.

Ridiculous, inappropriate and unprofessional. She's really excelled herself there.

Go back, ask to be seen by a different nurse and if possible out in a complaint.

I agree with slow computer re need for smear, generally not recommended unless you are sexually active.

However the nurse sounds incredibly unprofessional.
I'd go back to see the gp who recommended you have a smear.

Incidentally, not all cervical cancer is related to The human papilloma virus (and therefore sexual transmission). There are other risk factors including some chemical and drugs, although these cases are very much the minority. Cancer Research has a good page on risk factors etc.

Horrible experience for you op.

This thread has amazed me though. As a nurse in the 80s we were taught they it was impossible for bighorns to contract cervical cancer. I even remember a tasteless joke from the consultant lecturing us about nuns.

I left nursing a while ago but still believed this to he the case.

Obviously need to update my knowledge.

Ffs bighorns virginsobviously.

bighorns!!!!

One of my good friends was pretty much laughed out of the examination room by a nurse when she went for a smear while still a virgin. She was very humiliated and it put her off going for them later when she was sexually active.

She never reported it as she was made to believe performing it on her would be impossible. I wish she had.

I was told you couldn't get cervical cancer at all if a virgin. I got invited a couple of years ago and surgery told me I didn't need one, removed me from the list altogether and said if and when I have intercourse, to let my GP know and she'll get me back on the list.

Have queried with the practice nurse, and my gynaecologist and both have said there's definitely no need for one. I've been taking hormonal tablets fairly regularly since 2007, and every pack/device says it increases the risk slightly.

It seems however I wouldn't able to get one without being told I'm only having it to settle anxiety, unless I pay for a private one!

(With me there are issues surrounding the actual taking of the smear - I don't cope with examinations at all and have had anaesthetics for them before, but for something so important..)

So I'm very surprised your GP was so willing! And yes - do complain about the nurse, definitely.

It's shocking that so many medical professionals are giving wrong information. The risk of a virgin getting cervical cancer is very low but it is not nil. My mum had cervical cancer, so I got one even when I was a virgin and the few minutes discomfort was for me, it worth it for peace of mind. My GP and practice nurse both agreed it was worth doing because I had sexually experimented but not gone 'all the way' as it were.

I've never even experimented though - and the GP knows that, from previous conversations .. so maybe that's why they were so reluctant?

I will mention it again when I see GP. I have the mirena and have had four weeks of bleeding so need to tell them, something's obviously not right.

Didn't think a smear was necessary if no sexual contact ??

One good thing about this thread is that it's reminded me to book my smear test for next week.

agree with pickandminx YOU DO NOT NEED A SMEAR IF YOU ARE A VIRGIN, IT IS ALL TO DO WITH THE HPV VIRUS AND IT IS SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED ,
end of rant
check your facts before advising someone on a needless confrontation.
better education is needed , even if you are sexually active and too young for a smear, bleeding after intercourse or pain on intercourse is a reason to see GP , still no smear needed, it is only a screening tool NOT A DIAGNOSIS.

Mooy You can still contract the virus without having sexually intercourse, so stop SHOUTING!

www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/about-cervical-screening.html#active

Risk is very low in non sexually active women but not zero. According to guidelines they can decline (as can anyone).

A few things strike me at your post op. I do agree that the nurse didn't speak to you in a professional manner, what happened to her maintaining her patient's dignity?

My understanding is that cervical screening is just that, a screening tool. There are several principles surrounding it; is it cost effective, is it reliable, do the benefits outweigh the risk (i.e. the psychological & physical).
I imagine the nurse thought that your risk is very low & that it wasn't indicated. She should have explained it to you.

My other thought is that your GP wants his QOF points but maybe I'm cynical.

I'd advise that you discuss the options with a GP or nurse that you trust and that way you can make an informed choice. You can opt into the screening programme any time you like.

HPV is by far the most important risk factor for cervical cancer.

You can contract HPV from sexual activity without having penetrative sex.

HPV accounts for at least 99% cervical cancers. It does not account for all. There are very rare risk factors relating to drug / chemical exposure. While rare, these are real.

The risk of cervical cancer if you are a virgin is vanishingly low, but not zero.

Hope this helps.

Thanks all.

I went to see the Practice Manager today and explained what my problems were. She said that the nurse was known for being a little "robust with her humour" and I pointed out that it wasn't robust humour, it was unprofessional and made me feel as though I had something to be ashamed about. She said she would have a word.

The main thing that bothered me was the nurse's assertion that I couldn't have the screening. I have read all your posts and done some googling, and my understanding is that if I want it, I can have it. It isn't for her to refuse it.

I understand that my risk of cancer is vanishingly low. However I would always rather be safe than sorry for the sake of 15 minutes of my time. So I booked an appointment with another nurse.

It makes me sad that attitudes and education still doesn't seem to have improved regarding cervical cancer and smear tests.

I would have thought it would be more widely known that you don't need to have had sex to need a smear.

Reminds me of when my mum had to have treatment for pre-cancerous cells following an abnormal smear. Certain members of the family were quite vocal about how ashamed they were of her as she had a "sex disease". Yes of course she had had sex! She was in her 40s with three kids!

I know it's not a direct comparison but hopefully people can see where I'm coming from here. People still seem very uninformed or at least misinformed about cervical cancer.

OP good for you.

And for people screeching at the OP, two things........

1. being a virgin does not mean no sexual contact. A woman may have inserted sex toys or other objects and may contract the virus that way.

2. even if that were untrue, the OP was told by a doctor that she was playing games with her health - that was a qualified HCP's words, not hers - so she should not be dismissed by someone working at the same surgery. Or by anyone on here, unless you are a consultant gynae and therefore know better than her GP.

I'm not, so I'll choose to believe her GP.

The cynical side of me thinks that the OP was told that she was gambling with her health because the GP wants the QOF points. No points, no payment.

11,684 women died from breast cancer in 2011 according to Cancer Research UK.

972 women died from cervical cancer in 2011 according to the same source.

GP's do not get a bonus if they recommend breast screening. They DO get a bonus if they push cervical screening.

Cynical?

I think it's an odd thing for a GP to say. We'll never know the motivation behind it though.

The mortality figures on their own aren't especially helpful though, because they don't give an idea of the incidence. Although the incidence and mortality on the cancer research site are for different years, it's unlikely they'd change hugely from year to year. So there are about 24ish times more women being diagnosed with breast cancer as there are with cervical cancer, but only about 11ish times as many dying from it. Some people might argue this means that there's a poorer prognosis of cervical cancer which makes screening (and potentially catching it early) more valuable.

However, the overall risk / benefit of screening for breast and cervical cancer are always up for debate and there seems to be a new analysis most months!

That's not a useful comparison, Picand, because breast screening is nothing to do with GPs as it is done by hospitals. Cervical screening, in contrast, is done at the GPs' practice.

Mind you, I still agree with you they are heavily influenced by their cervical screening dosh.

Definitely complain op.

Also, hpv is only one of the causes of cervical cancer. Like other cancers, it can develop on its own. So it is still very important to have a smear test even if there is absolutely no risk whatsoever of a woman contracting HPV.