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.

For me it's two minutes in and out. It's not a joy but not scary either. I took my baby to one day in the pram laughing at me. That took my mind of it.

I do always think they should put a poster on the ceiling with five hidden ducks or something to take your mind off it (may have been reading too many Apple Tree farm books!)

I had three sweeps for a baby that refused to come out and my waters broken manually. A smear is nothing!

I'm so sorry for your horrific experiences.

You need the right practitioner but I am not entirely sure how you'd go about finding one.

I've got a degree of PTSD from both male violence and the behaviour of a HCP. I've also lost a loved one to cancer so force myself to attend smears- for the visual check (which could have saved my relative) not just the HPV test.

My last smear was with an incredible nurse who had written a dissertation on cervical health. I now know my cervix is quite far away and how to put my fists under my bum to make it easier to reach. But more than the fact it was painless and educational, was the fact that she immediately understood that I needed to feel listened to and in control in order to be put at ease. I will always ask for her in the future.

In your position, I'd definitely choose nurse over GP, as for this kind of procedure they tend to be more experienced. I'd choose female, because they'd have had their own experience of smear tests. Maybe I'd ask friends for recommendations? Or ask if anyone at the practice has had training related to trauma, because it's not just their skill in the procedure itself, it's how they as a human make you feel in that room.

There is also a charity called My Body Back which provides this kind of care in a trauma informed manner. But in limited locations unfortunately.

Reading these posts reminds me of threads where people come on to say "Why don't you put it in the garage?" oblivious to the fact that op lives in a city centre flat.

Or "Why you have put your heating on, it's really mild" oblivious to the fact that the op lives in Aberdeen, and not everyone lives in Devon.

NEWSFLASH we are not all the same!

I used to not mind them, but after giving birth and having too many internal examinations I'm dreading mine. The fact that they don't even check the cells angers me. When they did, I was ok with it, they actually picked up something unrelated one year and that was helpful. But now it's unnecessarily invasive.

Honestly, I do not find it that big a deal. It’s over in two seconds and is only a 3/10 in terms of how uncomfortable it is. Not to minimise but are there sone other circumstances making you feel this is worse than objectively it is?

Smear tests are essential, and you're risking yourself by not having them.

I say this as someone who finds them horribly uncomfortable, it annoys me when they say "try and relax", because HOW THE HELL DO YOU RELAX WITH A METAL HORROR SHOVED INSIDE YOUR GLORIOUS CLAM?!

I grit my teeth basically, and then get myself some chocolate after for enduring. They're looking for pre cancerous cells, which is important. When I was in my late twenties, they found a moderate amount of cells, "dyskariosys." This meant I had to have treatment in the form of loop diathermy to remove them. Believe me, you don't want to go through that if you can avoid it. They give you an internal localised anaesthetic, and remove the cells. It was incredibly uncomfortable because the gynaecologist didn't use enough anaesthetic, and I felt it.

I'm afraid you're going to have to endure them, they're extremely important.

You are the first woman I've come across to express how I feel. I haven't had one for years. I've only had three or four in my entire life and I'm almost sixty. they make me feel ill, violated. I need to sleep straight afterwards as if I felt ill. I feel quite ashamed of not being able to cope with what most women think of as a straightforward procedure. It doesn't help that the first one I ever had really hurt and I bled afterwards. But I feel panicky at the htought of them. I honestly think I'd rather take my chances.

I used to be really scared of it because my mum made it sound horrifying! But then when I actually had one it was fine and didn't hurt at all. So I am not worried about it any more and would try to reassure anybody that is worried that it is not painful, perhaps a little undignified.

But I also think it must vary because I remember in my first pregnancy when I was 20, internal exams were incredibly hugely excruciating and I found them really hard. Dreaded the postnatal one and it was fine, and has always been fine ever since then. I have absolutely no idea what changed. Maybe I still had some hymen or something??

Yeah the woman that does my smear I recently realised is the mam of my teen DS class mate... still no issue.

I once had a smear where I was informed I was the 28th smear test of that day... they don't remember or care, Im pretty sure all our vagina blur together by the 28th one and its a non event done for YOUR safety not their pleasure.

@dolor No woman has to have them. It is a choice.

They don't just check for HPV where I am. It's a proper test.

I never thought of it as oppressive or horrifying. Just one more thing to check off in the day. Maybe you're overthinking it?

Would it make a difference if it was actually more than a HPV test?

I am pretty chilled out about medical procedures, but I appreciate not everyone is like this. I've been to smear test recently, and surprisingly I didn't feel a thing. Nurse was super gentle. I don't mind medical staff seeing my naked arse, they've seen loads.

I just had visual changes spotted on my smear - waiting for the results back now. Odds are it's nothing to worry about, but I wouldn't know about it if I'd self-tested

@PickyEaters

Yes, you can be negative and still have cervical cancer.

I think the way tests are done in the UK is misguided.

I put my first one off for three years because I was so worried about it, but eventually forced myself to go by thinking about the type of invasive procedures I'd have to go through if I didn't catch something early and it turned into cancer.

Now I'm okay with them - had one yesterday in fact, it was fine. However, having a coil inserted was a horrible, excruciating experience for me (so much so I still get teary and shaky thinking about how awful it was), and I get so upset when people say getting coils inserted is no big deal and that other people are just being dramatic. So I'd never minimise someone saying they find smears horrible, because everyone's body is different.

I don't need courage or strength to do something that I find neither painful nor oppressive.

It's a health screening test. Vaginas are normal body parts.

I absolutely hate them, and I think that's normal. I have never missed one though, and I'm 56.

For the last 5 or 6 I have been prescribed a valium which made a huge difference. I panic too, I can't relax, want to run away but with valium that doesn't happen.

Sympathies OP, I used to really struggle too. I found that the type of speculum used makes a huge amount of difference and telling the GP in advance also helped. It may be that if you are particularly nervous about it they will prescribe you a diazepam or something but I think you would need to tell them and request that in advance of your appointment.

My first smear test was a torture. The nurse was telling me she isn't sure there is enough material in the stick and the second she did had blood on it. It was painful. I checked later with other women. She basically abused me and tortured me. I'm foreign so may be this is why she got away with it. So I don't do tests with wicked nurses anymore

I've never minded it. I pressed for one when I was 22 due to family history and wish I could have them more regularly. I find it a tiny bit uncomfortable but I find having my blood pressure taken even more uncomfortable.

Do you have any particular reason to be scared of it? It is obviously very intimate so if anyone has issues with that or previous trauma then I can see why it's scary.

I'm just not. I've had sex, used tampons, had a baby. It's a complete non event for me.

@Notanotherone6 I know vaginas are normal body parts. Do you think women who experience pain are making it up?

Did you not get a leaflet with your invite letter? I did and it is extremely clear what and how they are testing and it also says it is optional. I’m not being goady, just curious as to whether that is standard or not.

Of course it's a test for cancer.
What did you think it was for?

If you tell them you're worried about it, they can book you a double appointment so you have more time. There are various breathing exercises that can help...and mad as it sounds, singing or humming throughout can also help to relax you.