AIBU not going for a smear test?

[DareIAdmit]

AIBU not going for a smear test until I've had sex if I'm a virgin, had the HPV vaccine and they won't check the sample further if it's negative for HPV?

"In some areas, a test for HPV is the first test on the screening sample. This is called primary HPV screening. In these cases, the sample is only checked for abnormal cells if HPV is found.

If HPV isn't found, you'll be offered a screening test again in 3 to 5 years (depending on your age).

In 2019, primary HPV screening will become the routine way of testing cervical screening samples across the whole of the Cervical Screening Programme." From www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-screening/

Of course it’s not unreasonable. You have made an informed choice.

I was a virgin until last year and went for my first smear a couple of weeks ago. On the very rare occasions when I have seen a GP or practice nurse in the many years before that, and they queried that I was overdue for a smear, I told them I had never been sexually active, and they agreed I didn't need one. At my last practice they removed me from the invitation system. So I would say YANBU.

I can see why your hesitant. I would be too. Have you spoken to your gp about it?

Why do people trot this out? Where is your GP surgery that it has so few appointments you can book one in to bloody chat to a GP? What do you think he/she is going to say? Of course they'll tell her to have it regardless of her circumstances. Jesus wept, I just had a GP prescribe me a powerful drug after talking on the phone to me for about 5 minutes and that was me waiting over a week just for that and people still think they're available for chats?

OP if you are a virgin who hasn't had any below the waist sexual contact and have had the HPV vaccine and are not experiencing any symptoms of cervical cancer and are not a smoker then there's no compelling reason for you to have a smear test.

If you get a letter and just tell them you are declining. If they ask you why and you don't want to disclose you say, 'This is not a subject I consider open for discussion. Please removed me from the system surrounding this exam' and then follow it up in writing. The end.

Because @PurpleDaisies I just think for the less than 10mins you are in the clinic for, surely it's not worth it even if you have a minute risk.

If the risk was 0% then fair enough.

I don't see what the big deal about a smear test is!?!

It's a big deal having cervical cancer

It's also a big deal having a third of your cervix removed and having to have a stitch when pregnant to "hold" the baby in and then the constant risk and worry of miscarriage right up until 38 weeks.

What would you want to take that risk!?

What would you want to take that risk!?

She doesn't have that risk, though.

today I’m still not sure what that has to do with the op’s circumstances. Were you a virgin when you had the smear where your cervical changes were picked up?

So I'm 25, got the letter a while ago but put off making an appointment. There's been a lot on my fb recently urging women to go for their smears, petitions to lower the minimum age and how the jade goody effect has pretty much ended almost 10 years after her death now. I guess all that awareness stuff works, it certainly made me look into it more.

For anyone who has had or knows someone that has had cervical cancer can I ask if they tested positive for HPV or did they show any symptoms of cervical cancer? Under primary HPV testing unless you test positive or have any symptoms they won't check for abnormal cells, I do wonder if that means it will be detected later in people that aren't positive for HPV.

I'll probably speak to the practice nurse at some point but just wanted to do a bit of research first, is it cynical of me to think they might encourage me to take it even if it isn't in my best interests if it helps make their uptake figures look better?

The issue some of you don't seem to get is that there is also a risk to being tested, in that with any test there's a risk of false positives, and this risk is actually quite high with a smear. Everyone needs to balance their risk of developing cervical cancer from one of the strains the test would pick up against their risk of unnecessary treatment, which is also risk free. If OP hasn't engaged in sexual activity that would potentially expose her to the virus and also doesn't have other risk factors like smoking, her risk benefit calculation might look different to yours.

Sorry, also not risk free. There are some women who have smears that pick up changes that would never have developed anything, who then go on to have further procedures. These procedures are not risk free.

@WaxMyBalls Exactly. And the problem is that there's no way of knowing if you are one of those or not, so everyone who gets treatment believes (rightly or wrongly) that the test saved their life. And then you get those people telling everyone else they should get tested. It's the way the NHS promotes the screening programmes with very little information about risks that's the problem, so patients can't make their own informed decision. Breast cancer screening is even worse for that (I believe in Australia they're trying to do something about it now not sure if anything has changed here yet?). OP there's a Glasgow GP called Margaret McCartney who has written a good book called The Patient Paradox that explains about lots of types of screening and risk factors.

Yes, the lack of awareness about the risks is very worrying. It isn't properly informed consent if the patient doesn't have this information!

how successful is the vax?
Some people may get hpv from oral?
Others from abuse which they may not remember.
And others will think 'i dont need to as dp was also a virgin'.

I dont usderstand though that if say i test neg for hpv on smear why not then be given the vax?
Will all the vaxxed women decide not to have smears if it's only testing for hpv?

I would go for the smear. I am negative for HPV but have had serious cell changes twice and had to have a colposcopy and cone biopsy to remove them. IMO its not worth the risk

Will all the vaxxed women decide not to have smears if it's only testing for hpv?
I think the aim is to decrease the number of smears women will need to have in the future, atm the vaccine covers most of the strains that cause cancer but not all from what I've read.

I hadn't thought about false positives and the risks of treatment, certainly food for thought. I try hard to research everything but it isn't easy finding objective info, especially around what can be a very emotive topic. The patient paradox looks like an interesting book I'll definitely pick up a copy.

I am negative for HPV but have had serious cell changes twice

Boo the new smear test only looks for HPV and nothing else.

So if I've only had sex with one person in the last 10 years who has also only had sex with me in that time, does that means it's pointless having smears now? As they're only checking for HPV?

Hypothetical, I'll still go.

I would have said definitely go but I don't understand what people mean about the actual smear test itself is not risk free, what risk does the actual test carry ?
Also what changes to the smear test now means ?is it a less thorough test now ( in that what they are actually testing ?

Sorry I'm mustn't be quite up to date and a!ways keen to learn. I thought smear test check for any abnormalities

When you say you’re a virgin...no need to answer this here, but if you’ve had any other sexual contact you could have been in contact with HPV as it’s very infectious. Eg if your partner had touched his penis and then touched your vulva, you could become infected. You don’t actually have to have had full sex. If you’ve had no sexual contact at all, then personally I wouldn’t see the need for a smear.

Sorry I'm mustn't be quite up to date and a!ways keen to learn. I thought smear test check for any abnormalities

The smear test now just checks for HPV in the first instance. If it's present then they check for abnormalities. If it isn't then they don't.

So if I've only had sex with one person in the last 10 years who has also only had sex with me in that time, does that means it's pointless having smears now? As they're only checking for HPV?

Poopins I hadn't considered that aspect, I could see a lot of women choosing not to get tested if they're in a monogamous relationship after the first test. It would be horrible if someone chose not to do the test but their partner cheated and gave them HPV, they might only find out a lot later than they would have done under the old system.

Hungrypuffin I didn't realise HPV was so infectious, I've not had any sexual contact of any sort so I'm fine on that front but now wondering if it gets transmitted in other ways.

I believe that the virus can lie dormant so it's still worth getting the test if you've been sexually active in the past. You can privately pay for an HPV urine test as an alternative to a smear. I think you can get it done for about £60. I don't know why the NHS don't do this instead. I suppose it's easier to do a smear in case testing for abnormalities is needed.

Darel, there are lots of different strains of HPV (all very infectious) - eg the ones which cause verrucas, warts etc. The strain which causes cervical cancer can only be transmitted by sexual contact but as noted this doesn’t have to be full sex (but you couldn’t get it from a loo seat, for example).