To be surprised my health visitor asked this

[110APiccadilly]

DD2 has just had her 6 month check. The health visitor went through a list of questions, mostly stuff I'd expect, but one was whether I was up to date on my smear test. I was surprised as I thought these appointments were about DD rather than me.

Apart from anything else, isn't it a bit sexist to assume they're going to see the mum rather than the dad? DH took DD1 to her 15 month check as he was her primary carer (I was the main earner) at that point. Bet he didn't get asked whether he'd had a prostrate exam recently.

@110APiccadilly I get you OP 💐

I found the HVs I saw in those early days busybodies with outdated ideas and a horrid patriarchal approach to me that felt like I was just the “vessel”.
They were as much use as a chocolate fire guard when I actually needed help.
So I wrote to them to opt out 👍 (doesn’t stop them hounding me repeatedly tho 🤷‍♀️)

If your experience of them is anything like mine then it’s probably more that you don’t feel any rapport or comfort with them so discussing your own medical needs with them seems strange x

“my GP and my gynaecologist and me”

So what you are saying is this was ancient history? Times have changed since you had young children.

I had a vaginal birth

That is possibly the difference then, since obviously my cervix was less impacted by childbirth (outwith hormonal changes) than yours was.

I heard on the radio today that smear test uptake is 70%, when the target is 80%. Cervical cancer can be prevented so any health professional that raises this is doing well. There are so many young women I work with that don't even know what a smear test is.

OP you sound like incredibly hard work.

TBF if by ‘young’ you mean ‘under 27’ they don’t necessarily need to know what it is as they will have been immunised against HPV. Many of our daughters will never need to undergo a cervical smear.

I’m not sure why you have taken such offence to them asking tbh. Mine asks about smear and if my husband checks his testicles. I don’t get offended by either question

You still need smears if you have had your HPV vaccine! Not all cervical cancers are caused by HPV. The vaccination isn’t to eradicate the need for a smear, it’s merely another tool to protect you.

You know why they asked so why bother asking on a forum?

be sure you ARE eliminate and smear rates are very low nationally - it’s a life saving screening test that some other countries don’t have.
jusy be grateful if the reminder

Exactly, this was what 30 years ago, maybe 40 years ago? Wasn’t even a graduate profession then.

You still should have a smear test even if you’ve been vaccinated. I was vaccinated when I was at school and I had my smear last week.

@MotherOfHouseplants

This is wildly incorrect.

You absolutely still need Pap smears even if you've had the HPV vaccine. It protects against some types of cancer but not all.

I'm alarmed that someone would think this. Please correct whoever told you this, it's very dangerous misinformation for younger people to hear.

Are people really this sensitive?

Apologies. I was under the impression from a few reputable sources that the NHS cervical screening programme will be significantly reduced as the vaccinated population increases. Happy to be corrected.

Yet, if you test negative for HPV, your test sample will not even be looked at any further. They will only move on to visual inspection of the sample if you have tested positive!!

My understanding was that virtually all cervical cancer is caused by the HPV virus (something like 95%) but that the current vaccine does not protect against all strains of HPV.

In defence of @MotherOfHouseplants I had a similar understanding that the vaccine is so effective (Cancer Research UK found it reduced cervical cancer incidence by 90%) that the intention is for the cervical screening programme to look very different in the future for our daughters, even if it doesn't quite mean that they will never need a smear.

Yes, but it still stands, if your sample tests negative for HPV (and you could have previously been infected but it be dormant at the time of the smear test) then they simply do nothing further with it.

Same 🤣 might just get one from superdrug and do it at home!

The HV is taking an interest in your health as your baby 50% depends on you. I'm pleased when surgery nurses ask me if I'd had my shingles, flu, pneumonia jab etc. They're trying to help me and reduce NHS costs.