To remind you to look after your cervix (cervices?!)

[FourForYouGlenCoco]

I know it's been done plenty of times, but one more won't hurt, right?
So long story short:
Went for (overdue) first smear last year, after DC2 was born. Borderline changes & HPV - sent for colposcopy, they went for 'watch and wait' and asked me to come back in 6 months.
Went back, severe dyskaryosis/CIN III. Back again a few weeks later for lletz under local.

The hospital is an hour+ away. The logistics of it all, organising someone to take DC1 to/from school, trekking baby DC2 back and forth with me - not fun. But I am so so relieved I didn't put it off, so relieved I didn't just assume everything would be alright. In the 6 months between colposcopies, cell changes happened really fast. If I'd left it...who knows?
The lletz was really not that bad either - I was very apprehensive beforehand but it was maybe 5 minutes and done. Minimal pain, minimal bleeding afterwards, and definitely a damn sight better than cervical cancer.

So please, please, PLEASE book your smear if it's due or overdue. Go to your appt, don't bury your head in the sand, don't put it off. I know it's not how you'd choose to spend an hour, but it's really not that bad. And it's so fucking important. So do it.

Sorry, but I can't stand threads like these. It is a woman's choice to have a smear, and should not be guilted (or worse, denied contraception) because they have personal reasons not to.

YABU.
It's a personal choice to have cervical screening. I choose to but many women make a perfectly valid choice not to. That should be respected rather than you saying "so do it".

Well, as someone who had breast cancer, I do see the point of this thread. When you're facing death it makes you think a bit differently! No one has to have a mamogram or smear for whatever reason but it can mean the difference between life and death. For those that don't have any particular issue with getting checked but have just not got round to it - this is a good reminder to make that call

Seriously?! How can you two say someone is being unreasonable for telling people to go get a potentially life saving procedure?!

Sure, you don't HAVE to go, but someone has just shared their experience with you and they're being unreasonable?! If this post encourages ever one more woman to go who then ends up avoiding full blown cervical cancer because of it, then I'd suggest you two are being unreasonable to tell people not to suggest it's a good idea.

This is LITERALLY for the good of your health. Don't be awkward just for the sake of it then come crying to everyone on here when things don't go to plan. That would be unreasonable.

Also glad you're sorted OP!

Thanks FourForYou...
My smear is long overdue and I had made an appointment last month but then had to cancel.
It was on the back burner and i probably would have left it. Will book now, thanks for the reminder

Yanbu. I had a family member die due to missing smears. I don't get why people are pushing it's a woman's choice etc. Of course it's always the woman's choice, but creating awareness from personal experience so women can make better informed choices may just save a life. So well-done OP

I agree that the OP is only trying to point out a fact that there are so many deaths from cervical cancer each year that could easily have prevented by just going for a 2 second smear test.
OP - the same scenario happened to me and I had to get the LLetz treatment too. I found it a little bit painful but its definitely a relief to know all the cancerous cells have been removed and my smear results are now normal.

What would be a reason to choose not to have a smear test? I'm genuinely asking because I didn't know that it was something that people purposefully opted out of, apart from not getting round to it.

Women get regular invitations to attend for a smear. They don't need bossing around on MN. OP wasn't 'facing death'. There's a chance that her CINIII might have developed into cancer.

I have the worst form of HPV and have had to have treatment in the past. They then sent me to the hospital after an uneventful smear to double check again and everything was fine, signed off for three years. Except I wasn't as one year later they started hounding me again to have another smear. I have to admit I left it and am now pregnant so it will have to wait. They do seem to be extremely cautious now which is great, but I sort of wish the arse knew what the elbow was doing admin wise.

YANBU.
The first couple of posts really sum up the tone of this topic though.
Of course it's a personal choice, but it's not really possible to see your own cervix, or to assess its health, and if there are problems, and by the time you are symptomatic it could be a major, life threatening deal.

Can't believe anyone would say someone is unreasonable for this. What fucking planet do you live on!

Op, I had the same at 20 then after treatment I haemmoraeged pretty badly and need a further op to cauterise. Makes me think what would of happened if the new age 25 was in back then.

Thanks OP, or always had my smears on time but took a while getting round to the last one perhaps because I'd got a bit complacent that they've always been ok. Please could I ask in a completely not-goady way why some people choose not to have them? Genuinely interested if you don't mind telling me

Thank you OP for raising awareness by giving us your personal experience.

What would be a reason to choose not to have a smear test? I'm genuinely asking because I didn't know that it was something that people purposefully opted out of, apart from not getting round to it.

All kinds of reasons, often relating to past sexual abuse or negative sexual experiences. Many women need extra support and acknowledgement of this to enable them to go through with the test, but often they get told (not by the OP, I stress) that they're "being silly" and "shouldn't be embarrassed".

People get more sympathy for being scared of the dentist than they do for being scared to have a smear.

I'm not scared and have had various procedures done, but I can understand exactly why it's an issue for many women.

I don't disagree with the OP, of course. I just wish that the authorities and GPs had more understanding of what's really at play here.

"They don't need bossing around on MN" - Really?! The OP is trying to help and may have prompted someone to have a smear who otherwise wouldn't have which could potentially save their life and you moan about being 'bossed around'? Get over yourself!

YANBU

I was due a smear in May and DD was 4 months old, they couldn't as she couldn't get a clear testing or however they call it so she asked me to come back at the beginning of June and I've put it off so badly.

Yesterday I rang and booked it in, I know it ain't exactly nice etc but just got to get it over.

So reading your thread has been encouraging!

Fucking hell, can't believe people are saying YABU to this! The OP is raising awareness of the importance of smears through her own personal experience, where cell changes could have meant her facing cancer - how can that possibly be unreasonable?!?

I'm 100% with you on this OP!

I realise some people choose to opt out for very legimitate reasons. That's their choice. Trust me, I'm not about to start dictating to anyone what they should or shouldn't do with their own body.
When I posted this, I was thinking more of people like maitre - been meaning to get round to it, putting it off, busy busy - just need a quick reminder of the importance.
Nor did I say I was 'facing death', June. But given that I went from borderline changes to CIN III in 6 months, it's not outside the realm of possibility that, had things continued to develop that fast, and had I decided to put off that second colp for a year or two, I would potentially have been looking at a much worse outcome. I'm not saying that I had some sort of traumatic experience. Quite the opposite, in fact; I'm saying that a quick, easy, 5-minute procedure has ensured that I won't have to face a traumatic experience. And I'd hazard a guess that most women would also choose that option.

From the British Journal of Cancer

In England, there are an average of 796 deaths a year from cervical cancer in women of all ages.

It is estimated that screening currently prevents 69.7% of cervical cancer deaths. However, if everyone attended screening regularly 82.9% of deaths could be prevented

We estimate that there would be an additional 1827 deaths per year from cervical cancer in the absence of screening, and a further 347 deaths per year could be prevented if everyone attended screening regularly between ages 25 and 64 years.

Why the actual fuck wouldn't you go for a smear test.

Can't believe anyone would say someone is unreasonable for this. What fucking planet do you live on!

The OP states that it's 'not that bad' as if it's a fact for all women. Of course she's being unreasonable. That and demanding that women must go and have it done, as if we do not get reminded by other sources in life. It's infuriating to see people go on about this as if those who chose not to go are simplistic morons that 'need to be told'.

I had an abnormal smear at the age of 20 (before people are even offered tests these days) and then 2 operations to deal with the abnormal cells and was on an very regular (2 years or so) smear regime for the next 10 - 15 years.

I hate to think what may have happened if I hadn't bothered for whatever reason - or not been aware.

Now I'm old enough to be offered mamograms and yes I've done that too.

I appreciate some women may need support to have a test and it may be traumatic.

However choosing not to go is possibly choosing a very painful and traumatic and unnecessary death. It's choosing to possibly put you loved ones through that. It's choosing to burden the NHS even more.

Banding it about as a woman's right to choose is irresponsible.

I can't see how this is unreasonable. It seems everything is potentially triggering. This could mean the difference between life and death. I'm all for handholding and empathy but come on.