How were you not terrified of getting a smear test?

[Fluffycookie]

So I received a letter from my surgery today regarding the cervical screening test. I'm 25 , and I dread every smear test visit to my GP. Every time I'm in that room, no matter how hard I try to mentally prepare myself, the mere thought of the procedure causes me to panic. I'm not sure where you got your courage and strength. I continue to believe that the sample collection procedure is oppressive. I'm sure there must be a better, less painful way to collect a sample.

At your age I think you will be fine OP. The smear tests never bothered me in the slightest before I hit menopause. I even had my first one before I'd ever had sex (at 17, when I went to the GP for the birth control pill). And once in my 20s I let a group of students practise on me.

Nowadays they are very painful and I dread them and put them off for as long as I dare (current one is 2 years overdue). I didn't know about the HPV home test thing, so thank you to @Pjsandhotchoc for pointing that out.

Does HPV always precede cervical cancer or could you be HPV negative and still have cancer?

"Every smear test visit" they are carried out every three years. At 25 surely you have only had 2 at most?

I find them unpleasant. But they are necessary. A friend nearly died from cervical cancer, was rendered infertile and suffers from life long health complications.

So I get it done.

I agree with both these posters.

The whole regime needs review given they are putting us through this just to throw the samples in the bin.

They dont start doing them till 25 so if op has had previous smears then there must have been a medical reason for that in which case it shouldnt even be crossing her mind not to have one.

@BareGrylls Is this your approach to anything people fear in life? You tell everyone, including yourself, to grow up? Fear is fear. Just wondering. :)

OP I used to be scared too but I went in and explained how I was feeling and overall I’d say the nurses do respond very well to that level of honesty - mine asked me if I’d like the procedure explained to me, if I needed more time to consider my choices, if I’d like her to talk about completely other things while doing it etc etc. The last nurse I saw was so incredibly gentle I thanked her profusely and she said that was invaluable feedback for her, because her job is to make me feel comfortable.
You can do this.

I don't know what the answer is to help you OP sorry, but you have asked why some people aren't bothered by it.

There's no response to that unfortunately.

The don't bother me in the slightest.

Don't know why. Ijust see it as part of a routine health check up

My sister refuses to have one.

The few times I've had smears done it was such a quick procedure, other routine appointments took longer. I was nervous of my first one but it was relatively straightforward that I compartmentalise it with other routine medical exams to help get over any worries. What is it specifically that you are worried about? Being partially naked? The exam itself?

I suspect that before too long smear tests won't be routine. The evidence around HPV has been so compelling.
The young woman now being vaccinated against HPV presumably won't need smears in the future.
It's a personal choice to have this test. Many women don't because it's upsetting and invasive.
I had one recently and the nurse did explain very clearly that the cells would only be examined if the hpv virus was found. I'd been wavering on having it done after my last one was a bit traumatic but a very close friend of mine is currently being treated for cervical cancer which put my worries into perspective.

Oppressive? It’s a medical procedure. Yes, it’s uncomfortable and is an intimate area, but it’s for a reason.

I’d take a smear over a prostrate exam any day, and my poor partner has had to have a good few of those.

I’ve had cin3 cells twice now. I’ll take all the smears it needs to make sure I don’t get cancer. The burning away of my cervix is less fun, but again, necessary.

A home HPV test is basically the same as a smear as far as I’m concerned.

A smear checks for the presence of HPV. If none is found, nothing further is done with the sample.

The only difference is, therefore, the vanishingly small (presumably - prepared to be corrected) chance of a health professional spotting cancer/pre cancer with their naked eye.

Please do your own research into this, but from my understanding yes you could be HPV negative and still have cancer but, in the absence of any other symptoms and getting HPV negative result means it is extremely unlikely. If you have any symptoms then I would go for the smear.

If you’re HPV negative and have cancer it wouldn’t be picked up on the smear test anyway as they don’t check for abnormal cells unless you’re HPV positive or have symptoms.

Does HPV always precede cervical cancer or could you be HPV negative and still have cancer? Apparently you can be HPV negative and have cervical cancer, but this is much less usual than being HPV positive. You should always get any signs of cervical cancer checked even if you recently had a negative for HPV.

It's a medical test. Not a particularly pleasant one but neither is dentistry or (I imagine) prostate checks, mammograms. So many people I know have had abnormal cells removed following their first test at 25 I couldn't bear to risk not doing it.

See if you can get it done at a clinic rather than the GP, they tend to be better in my experience. They need to use the medium speculum on me. I have a high cervix and the small is just too short so its much more uncomfortable having them rummage around twisting and cranking trying to find it with a small than just finding it straight away with the longer medium one. Honestly the last nurse I had at the clinic was amazing and i wouldn't even have called it uncomfortable.

At the very least if you can't face it do a HPV test at home on yourself. If it's positive you really need to go have one done.

Haven't rtft but there's nothing at all terrifying about it for me
It's not painful or anything

Had regular smear tests when I was younger. No issues. What should I have been scared of?

I had dodgy cells found on my smear test after I had my first born. Had a procedure that probably has saved my life. That procedure was extremely unpleasant compared to a smear. Just get on with it and don’t overthink.

One of the biggest variables is the person doing the test. There is no point pretending they are all fine. Once you have had a few, you know there is a wide range of competence.

I go in, sit on that chair and take deep breaths.It’s done in 10 seconds. I get dressed and walk out. It’s best not to overthink it.

Stop reading horror stories and building it up in your head. Just book it and go before you can talk yourself out of it

Really depends where OP is. I had 8 by the time I was 25.

@Syrax thats incorrect if the swab is HPV positive the cells are then looked at to check for any changes. The practice nurse may observe some visual changes during the procedure but that would be in later stages of cancer etc. I would rather it got picked up sooner rather than later personally

I've had 3 now and the first 2 I found to be a little tiny scratch, not dissimilar to a blood test pain and then knew I was done. The 3rd one was after I had my daughter. I had an emergency c-section, not even a vaginal birth, and I didn't feel it at all that time!!!

That’s (indirectly) what I said.

That’s not true. I’ve given birth twice but smears still hurt and cause me to cramp and bleed afterwards. This is the case for many women and it’s to do with the position and shape of your cervix so there’s nothing I can do about it. There’s no need for such an invasive test anymore because they do only look at your cells if you have HPV.