to decline cervical screening offer?

[Teacupsandtoast]

Just that really.

Is there a simple process for opting out or is there hoop jumping required? (Which often seems to be the case when it comes to withdrawing consent for anything)

I have a genuine question - it may sound ignorant, but in terms of discomfort is it really all that different to a penis penetrating for most people?

I can't answer for "most people" but for me, yes it is. In fact having a smear, sex was very much off the cards for a good 2 weeks due to the pain.

I didn't bother to go for screening for about 5 years, I'd only had one partner in that time & just couldn't be bothered with all the faff.

Then I DID get a smear done - CIN3, 2 LETZ procedures to get rid of it all, with a warning from the consultant that I'd been right on the edge of having everything whipped out and another 6-9 months before getting a smear and I would have.

I loathe smears, and I haven't had a sexual partner for 6 years and the same number of smears, but I will probably keep going after that scare.

I completely agree, puts me off bothering going. My risk for HPV is very low so why bother when they no longer actually look at the cells. People will die because of this change. I'm booking a private combined HPV and smear test every few years instead.

They do just check for HPV first, but the vaccine doesn't protect 100% against that so they still recommend going for tests. The risk is much lower when vaccinated, but not nil.

Really? Where have you heard of this?
I have oral sedation but it doesn’t touch the sides.
Hurts so badly that I am shouting and crying in pain. Hyperventilating despite trying my best to control my breathing.
Imagine someone was sticking a red hot poker into you. That’s what it feels like for me. No way can I manage one with a mask on. Afterwards I am traumatised. Feel violated and sore for days. Bad dreams and repeating memories of the pain.
Ive had 4 of these in my life and honestly they have ruined years of my happiness.
I spend at least a year in on off anxiety as I know it will be coming around soon. Feelings of dread in my stomach daily and then trying to put it out of my mind.
GP offered oral sedation only which doesn’t seem to do much. Haven’t been now for 5 years.
Honestly I wish so much that I could be like some posters in here and it’s 2 mins of their life. God that would be so great.

99.7% of cervical cancers are caused by high risk HPV.

That’s the whole point of HR-HPV testing. Test for the risk factor and check the cells if needed, hopefully before they’re cancer cells to allow early detection and treatment.

I'm ok with it if you agree to pay privately for any cervical cancer treatment that you may need subsequently. Frequent screening means that issues that are picked up that can be dealt with relatively cheaply and easily, stage IV cervical cancer is a bit pricier to treat....

Don't be so silly.

People are allowed to make their own choices about their bodies. If they need treatment, they still need treatment.

We don't refuse to treat rockclimbers who fall down mountains, or smokers, or the obese, or anyone who takes a risk and it doesn't come off.

You can just phone the gp practice and tell them you don't want it.

Why don't you call your GP surgery and ask? It probably varies practice to practice / trust to trust, your first port of call would be your own surgery surely?

That is breathtakingly callous.

Do you know what causes this reaction to a smear? It is because you're getting so anxious that you tense up? If so, would hypnotherapy perhaps help?

OP - is the issue that you are currently pregnant? Why not just ring up and tell them you are pregnant? I think I did that and then booked my smear for like a few months after delivery (can’t remember when they advised exactly - like 4 or 6 months or something).

Jo's Trust has some fabulous information.

This is from the site

Can HPV can be inactive (dormant) in the body?

In most cases, your immune system gets rid of HPV within 2 years. But in some cases, HPV may stay in the body for years.

Sometimes HPV does not cause any harm and will not be detected with a test. We call this dormant or clinically insignificant HPV.

Occasionally, HPV that was dormant can become active again and may start to cause cervical cell changes. This is called clinically significant HPV and would be detected with a test.

We don’t know why HPV becomes active again, but cervical screening can help detect the virus and any cell changes early.

As someone whose Mum has been slowly dying of cancer for the best part of two decades, please go.

The pain of losing you would be insurmountable for you family. Reduce the risk of that, no matter how unlikely it is you may get cervical cancer or how unpleasant the procedure is. People love you.

I had my first done recently, privately with a gynecologist in my home country.

I can't in fairness complain about my gynecologist, who tried to be gentle and careful, but even with the smallest speculum (although she didn't start off with it (which would make sense as a policy to me!) she quickly switched to it when I found the beginning of the examination painful), I was hissing with pain. Currently I'd say that I'm willing to endure this as part of a broader gynecological examination (the sample was tested for 14 types of HPV and checked for neoplasms (NILM)), but I went there for an ultrasound and because I was advised by an endocrinologist that one issue I had might also be gynecological) every number of years, but less 'enthusiastic' about going to endure only a test for HPV.

(For context, I'm not sexually active, I had (penetrative) sex once. It might be less painful if you do put anything up yourself; I don't even use tampons.)

The nurse I saw was obviously just a sadistic bitch, she never said a word.

Guess you will be opting out of any cancer treatment for cervical cancer too down the line if needed.

@Sidge, do you know what happens about the GP being notified if the smear is done privately? Is it down to me to notify my GP?

“Long discussions” doesn’t sound like jumping through hoops to me… sounds like they’re giving you the information to make an informed decision. I think that sounds like a wonderful service.

I didn't feel they particularly needed to recheck my blood type in my second pregnancy because it was highly unlikely to have changed, bar some medical miracle taking place.
AFAIK, you’re not offered a blood test specifically to find out your blood type (that would be daft, they can do that during any other blood test) but they do check your rhesus status again. Which can change.

Or to be retested for hepatitis/hiv at my 2nd pregnancy booking appointment since my sexual activity in 12 months in between the first baby and falling pregnant was with my husband and could be counted on one hand
Only takes one time to contract. There are no risks of blood tests, versus quite a lot of risks to your unborn baby of having either of those.

But look, tbh, I’m not trying to be argumentative or catch you out. I’m just hoping you’re making decisions based on risk versus benefit and not on medical anxiety alone. You should absolutely seek help if it is the latter.

Yes this has happened to me. I have persistent HPV..I had a negative smear and given the all clear for HPV. Next smear it had returned and I'm back on yearly smears. Same sexual partner. The GP said some women's bodies find it difficult to clear the HPV and sometimes it can reactivate later. So the previous posters saying I don't need a smear because I don't have HPV I wouldn't be so sure.

Presumably with a potentially late diagnosis,
you wouldn’t refuse treatment? Which would be much worse than a 4 minute nurse appointment

You should go. My auntie never had one despite knowing full well she should. By the time she had one due to abnormal symptoms she had grade 4 cervical cancer. She died about a year later after some horrendous treatment. Possibly outing but my cousin (her son) committed suicide a year after her death as he couldn’t live without her (he had some additional needs and was very reliant on her).

Why opt out of a check that could save your life? Seems absolutely bananas to me.

There was a thread about cervical screening a while back. One poster said that people who refuse the screening should be denied NHS treatment.
She then went on to say that her own sister had denied screening and had cervical cancer. It was bloody awful.
But this is MN where people come out with callous shit because they are hiding behind just an anonymous name and a screen.

There is a lot of NHS screening. Bowel cancer screening, mammograms, prostate, oral health (dentists look for signs of cancer), general 40+ checks, BP checks, blood tests etc...
I have never seen anyone called stupid or emotionally blackmailed for not going through any of the above... or told they should be denied treatment if they later develop cancer. It just seems to be unique to part of the female reproductive system. Why is that?

As has been said, you can just not go. If you're apprehensive though talk to the surgery, it's nothing new to them and they'll be things they can explore