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.

OP, I have PTSD from childhood abuse and it’s particularly triggered by situations with someone in a position of power where I feel vulnerable, so I find smear tests incredibly hard. I hadn’t had one for 15 years but had one recently when I had to get another issue looked at. I’m lucky in that they’re not painful for me, but they are very traumatic so I was very nervous.
I asked for a trauma informed doctor or nurse when I booked, and the lady I saw was wonderful. She made me feel humanised, in control and listened to. She also told me that wiggling your toes can help you relax so I was doing that like crazy! She was very gentle, started with the smallest speculum and talked me through everything she was doing. I was so grateful for her kindness!

Id suggest when you call to book you tell them you’re extremely anxious about them and ask for a slightly longer appointment. If the person you see makes you feel uncomfortable or doesn’t seem to understand your concerns, you can leave, don’t forget that.

Frankly, I find being human mostly undignified and often uncomfortable, if not downright painful. At least with a smear test one gets to lie down for a bit.

I guess it depends on many things, but most women don’t find them that bad. Takes me longer to tie my shoe laces back up after than it does for the nurse to do the actual smear.

It's a test for cell changes, and those cells could change again and go back to normal right? How often do they go back to normal if just left alone compared to if they are prodded about?

No, this is a common misconception. It is a test for HPV. Only if the sample tests positive for HPV, do they test for abnormal cells.

Oh well that's confusing then because they wrote to me saying they had detected abnormal cells and did a colposcopy on me to remove them but I never had HPV. This was back in 2005 before I stopped having them.

I think you're wrong?

What shows up on smear test?
The Pap test (or Pap smear) looks for precancers, cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if they are not treated appropriately. The HPV test looks for the virus (human papillomavirus) that can cause these cell changes.
What Should I Know About Cervical Cancer Screening? - CDC

Checks for abnormal cells

Do Smear tests pick up infections?
No. Smear tests (cervical screening) do not test for chlamydia. Cervical screening tests help prevent cervical cancer by checking your cervix (neck of the womb) for abnormal cells or infection with a virus called HPV.
Will I be tested for chlamydia during my smear test? - NHS

@oddsocksmatchifsamethickness they’ve changed the test since 2005. They now only test for HPV to start with. It even says on the leaflet you get now with the invitation letter that it is not a test for cancer and they no longer refer to them as cervical cancer screening; it is now referred to as simply cervical screening.

A smear test is basically just a very invasive HPV test now.

As far as I am aware men don’t have prostate exams. There is no such thing as regular prostate screening in the UK.

Yes, this.

I saw a comment on one smear thread a while back. Someone said they had opted out and they got a reply saying about making sure her will was up to date.
There seems to be this misconception that if you don't have a smear, you will eventually die from cervical cancer... like it is a given for 100% of women to eventually get it.

It doesn’t bother me because it really isn’t a big deal. If you’re a survivor of sexual violence then I can quite understand why you’d hate it, but otherwise I really don’t think it’s an issue.

The alternative - cervical cancer - is far scarier.

I had a LLETZ biopsy under local anaesthetic following a smear test, where they found cells that needed removing. I’m bloody glad I went for my smear test.

@tickticksnooze actually it can detect it, because it can pick up cell changes CIN 1, 2, 3 which can be very serious and need removing. If you don’t have them removed they can become dangerous.

However whilst they are doing the HPV test, they are looking in your cervix and can potentially see anything there. This is exactly what happened to me.

@Kat786

It's a cancer that takes women who are at the height of their productive and reproductive years. Not to dismiss the lives of women as important per se, but a case of cancer in a mother of small children can be devastating to those children. A death from cancer of a mother of school age children is going to have an impact that foes far beyond the individual life lost.

It's a cancer that is such a threat to individual life and to the fabric of family life that a vaccine to prevent the virus that causes many (but not all) kinds of it is now routine.

mathanxiety: I agree every life lost from this cancer is a tragedy, but it’s a RARE cancer and the test isn’t infallible: no screening test is!
any screening test will miss cases of the disease tested for: yet others will be diagnosed positive when they DONT. Have the disease! I dont dismiss the lives lost and damaged by any death, but given the rareness of this cancer and the fact that there is a more acceptable way to test that the NHS doesn’t roll out is baffling, as is the mindset of some on here who advise those who don’t screen to suck it up and go! And to some it’s a whole lot more than a wee brush stuck up your “chuff”….

Stroke and heart disease kills FAR more women than cervical cancer, it’s a tragedy too when mothers die of this leaving children behind: nowhere do we find the same hysteria over that!
Rates of cervical cancer were already declining before the screening programmes were introduced. Respectfully I’d say cervical cancer is not ripping society apart. Just my humble opinion

The test doesn't bother me in the slightest and I give it very little thought.

It doesn’t bother me because it really isn’t a big deal. If you’re a survivor of sexual violence then I can quite understand why you’d hate it, but otherwise I really don’t think it’s an issue.

It is a big deal when you're crying in pain and the bitch of a nurse just carries on and rushes the test because she's wasted half the appointment talking about your weight.

For me the test itself didn't hurt, and the bleeding was minimal (though according to DW who watched the nurse do it, there was "tonnes of blood"!), but three days later I'm still getting fairly severe cramping. Which is unusual as I don't get pain during my periods or anything. I could understand how someone knowing they would have pain as they have before - and not just during the procedure but afterwards - could put them off, it's not nice.

I had a smear the other day. I am definitely less bothered after having 2 children, it even before that, it is nothing that terrible. There are worse and more invasive medical procedures.
The nurse this time was really lovely and she was wasn't at all uncomfortable.
I think going into it with the right mindset makes a big difference, if you are relaxed then it is easier for them to swab.

I think going into it with the right mindset makes a big difference, if you are relaxed then it is easier for them to swab

Easier said that done. I have ptsd, even the thought of a stranger sticking something up my vagina has me tensing up. That's before we get to the point where I have to balance in the air, shoving my hips up so they can find my cervix. Even the smallest one hurts.

I've tried diazapam, a large glass of wine, therapy and crying all over the nurse (cathartic in many ways but didn't make the procedure less awful). I'm now just ignoring the letters.

Also work remembering Vesta Tilley and others, Is that the vast majority of cell changes', sometimes even the most severe, would revert to normal completely on their own with no treatment. It can be predicted which so every one gets offered treatment, I quite get that some would want the treatment at all costs, others might want to watch and wait and maybe have more frequent smears

I hate them and get myself into a real state beforehand. I have a very high tilted cervix , which makes it very uncomfortable. The replies on here are sadly why I get myself into such a panic - some nurses are fab and understand, most are horrible and very much of the suck it up opinion.
My last nurse was lovely and explained that hopefully I'm the next 5 years we should be sent swabs at home.