“Don’t be a diva it’s only a beaver”

[clairestandish]

Just seen this in big pink writing on FB picture being shared round from some sort of smear test campaign, followed by a ‘we’ve seen it all before! go for your smear’ bla bla bla

I keep seeing this kind of thing, lots of focus on the low figures of women attending cervical screening being down to ‘prudish’ women who are too embarrassed.

AIBU to feel annoyed that a lot of the campaigns take this slant? I really don’t think it’s the full reason women decline having cervical screening. Many women have been treated badly by medical staff during childbirth and have a lack of trust or find the process too daunting in light of that. Many women have a history of sexual abuse and can’t face it. I’m sure there are more reasons too and it would be useful to address all of them if we want to improve attendance of cervical screening.

Of course they do but citing embarrassment about being undressed would mean you'd be equally embarrassed about being waxed. The concern about the invasiveness of a smear - which I totally understand - isn't about embarrassment.

limited I must be getting the rest of Bluelady's mammograms. I got called up for number 3 at age 54.

Round here you get called up every 34 months from the date of the first call up, whether or not you have delayed, or spent months going to and fro for followup after the last one. I have come to the same conclusion as limited (also, I think we must share the same mammographer)

I sometimes wonder who invents all these invasive, unpleasant screening tests for women and thinks they are acceptable to everyone.

Fuck me, someone else is getting my mammograms as well! Just bloody give the buggers back - I want them!

When 7/11 happened, I recall hearing the harrowing realities of a doctor on the scene. He had to evaluate which victims stood the best chance of survival, and let the others go - even if they could possibly be saved, there weren't enough resources and time was of the essence. He had to save the most. His judgement might not have been perfect, but it was the reality of the job.

In many ways, on a far grander scale, the NHS must face this problem. With a finite budget and a finite number of resources they have to get the biggest bang for their buck. They almost certainly make some bad choices at times, but essentially they still face the same issue.

It would be impossible to create a service that could meet the needs of every single individual. They have to opt to create a service that meets the needs of the many.
If 20% of females have suffered sexual trauma, that's a significant enough percentage to warrant some sort of planning and arrangement being made. But, as someone else pointed out, some of those women may never openly admit to being victims and others may still be reluctant to attend a specialist service aimed at victims - as simply being a 'victim' doesn't mean all of their needs are going to be the same.

It would be wonderful if the NHS could at least attempt to address such issues, but I suspect specialist services are marginalised. Lack of specialist staff and premises, plus budget restrictions will probably all add up to a distinct lack of provision for anybody who isn't part of the mainstream. We see this in Mental Health and other areas too.

Fuck me, someone else is getting my mammograms as well! Just bloody give the buggers back - I want them!

Take them please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bizarrely, a friend who got breast cancer a couple of months before she turned 53 has never been called up for a mammogram - same area

Where I live you don't get them at all until you're 55, it's supposed to be every three years after that but the reality is it seems to be about every five, if not longer.

I got a letter to say I'd been one of those whose smear reminder had been missed, so I rang to make an appointment and the soonest my GP has is April. A bit annoying that money is being spent on advertising but long waits for the actual smears.
I'm going to try a GUM clinic or similar.

At the ground level, you're a real person, real feelings, real issues - you matter to loved ones.
At a policy level, you're a statistic, a cost.

Governments and policy makers will be at pains to mention the humanity of their decisions, but the reality is economic.

Where I live you don't get them at all until you're 55, it's supposed to be every three years after that but the reality is it seems to be about every five, if not longer.

Presumably not UK then - you are supposed to be called up sometime between 50 and 53 and the screening cycle is 3 years (except mine which is 34 months, only not for my friend) with extensions either end that you apparently don't need to join (only they didn't say that).

There is a school of thought, amongst those who analyse the statistics, that the more mammograms you have, the more likely you are to have further treatment, especially at the younger end of the scale, so it may be a blessing The method used is not absolutely accurate.

(I'm not scared of people looking up my minge I'm just too busy to attend appointments and I get fed up with being bombarded with messages that my body is the enemy and I will die unless doctors see to it*

I also hate women prattling on about how I have some kind of duty to attend screening and should be grateful

I agree limitedperiod. I think I've had 2 or 3 smears in my life. I can't remember when the last one was. I didn't go for a mammogram and asked them to take me off the list for automatic reminders.

This kind of language is demeaning to women.
Imagine the fuss there would be if a similar advert was used for men's health screening:
Don't be a dick, it's only your prick!

Blue lady can you expand on your comment about young women who don't go for smears

'I'm pretty sure "having things shoved up their cunt" isn't a big issue when there's a man on the other end.'

On first glance this seems incredibly misogynistic but maybe I'm missing something.

Imagine the fuss there would be if a similar advert was used for men's health screening:
Don't be a dick, it's only your prick!
There wouldn't be a problem. But it's the language of men aimed at men. 'Beaver' isn't the language of women.

I have always thought that the use of the expression smear test is not perhaps the best name for this procedure, and is not conducive in encouraging women and girls to go for a check.
It may seem a petty thing but the word smear is not very nice, I know it is psychologicall but words are important in this context.
Any one else think the same ?, and any suggestions for a more encouraging name than smear.

That she is spoilt, makign a fuss about nothing, beign a drama queen, overtones of doing it for attention as well

"Diva" used to mean the operatic equivalent of prima ballerina. Diva used to be a used to describe a celebrated female singer; a woman of outstanding talent.

In the late 80s I saw a film called Diva by Betty Blue director Jean-Jacques Beineix about an opera singer.

"Prima donna" used to simply mean the leading lady. It's a bit sad that 2 very particular words to describe exceptional women have come to mean, silly, stroppy, hard work etc.

Apologies if every one already knows that but it irks me.

An ex friend of mine wanted a c section because she wanted no one to ever see her private area...ever.
Fair enough anyone can request an elective. I just thought her reasoning was so childish. I asked how she had a smear and she proclaimed.. "oh god no never yuk". Baffling to me, it's only a vagina. She seemed repulsed by her own body.

How would you suggest putting this message in a poster for sexual assault victims whilst keeping it sensitive? I imagine it would be extremely hard considering everyone gets so bloody offended as it is.
Of course it's not the full reason but probably the biggest.

@Vicky1990 I agree actually! Smear is a word with negative connotations IMO. A new name making it sound more gentle or nice could help.

Don't they call it a PAP test in the US?

Maybe that would change some people's view.

Whatever they do though they will never reach all women will they? We all have such different views around this.

Of course they do but citing embarrassment about being undressed would mean you'd be equally embarrassed about being waxed. The concern about the invasiveness of a smear - which I totally understand - isn't about embarrassment.

But it wouldn't necessarily, because people could be more embarrassed about internal procedures than non-internal procedures. They might be worried about being too big or too small, fanny farts, showing themselves up by not being able to handle it, whatever. You don't have to agree with this, understand it or think there's any logic in it for it to be a possibility.

@Melroses, yes I am in the UK. Clearly my CCG doesn't view women's health as a priority. I'm quite cross about it, despite joking upthread, because of my friend's experience. After her successful cancer treatment she was evangelical about mammograms, yet we appear to be offered far too few in this area.

@baileys6904 that's great there is such an ethos behind the campaign. However it's not up to any of us to silence another women's reaction to it such as the OPs. That's how she felt, her opinion is valid despite anyone's best intentions. Maybe she'll change her mind who knows.However women have been told to pipe down long enough. I think it's fair to say any piece of marketing is never going to reach everyone in the same way.

www.gov.uk/government/collections/breast-screening-professional-guidance @Bluelady - you can fall down the rabbit hole of trying to understand how the system works (AHHHHHHHHHHHHH) but I think that if you have gone well over the 36 months, you should ring them up and ask for an appointment. I have been told that it is my responsibility to do this if I do not take up the appointment they give me, so there must be some mechanism that allows this. There should be screening catch-up sessions in the system.

Thing is that's only guidance. There's no obligation on CCGs to follow it, they just say they can't afford it and that's the end of it. Our breast screening service is provided in a mobile unit that covers a huge area, if it comes to your locality in September and your mammogram's due in October, there will be a four year interval. Then they'll change the bloody schedule!

My drs surgery calls it cervical screening rather than a smear, I did think they were trying to do away with that word?