Smear test - is it normal to find leaves and twigs?

[User748937744]

Ok, clickbait title - for a reason!

I am in my 40s and had my first smear test today. It was so fine and so quick and so painless and so straightforward and I wish I’d been brave enough to go for all the many years I’ve ignored the invitations!

Aibu to tell as many people as I can who might also never have gone to just do it?

I’ll happily go back next time I’m called.

I only went today because I’ve had some symptoms that were concerning.

It was so built up as something embarrassing and possibly painful in my head and it just wasn’t either.

Please, please go. You can always say you’re nervous and would like to be seen by someone really understanding.

It can save lives. I understand trauma,
wholeheartedly. But this can save your life. I am shocked that woman avoid this. And op did not avoid it due to trauma.

Yes I was shocked to discover this time I wasn’t tested to cell changes but only for
hpv. It is worrying that change has been made I agree.

Why post this? This is the issue, every time there's a thread or article about encouraging women to have smears, somebody like you posts a dramatic scare story and smash a big fist through any good! Your experience is rare but you've done the damage now! You didn't need to post it! No good comes of sharing an experience that won't be the reality for most women. Your comment will cost lives, perhaps leave children without a mother in time! Well done!

I don't find smears that comfortable but they are over quickly - the long torture of cervical cancer with death at the end is hardly the nicer option.

The vast majority of women will cope with a few minutes of discomfort every so many years but it's not helpful when people pay scare stories to deliberately try and put women off! I couldn't and wouldn't do that to other women because many women have no problems .having done and I at least want women to try. It's dangerous to put women off, let them have the confidence to at least go and try it.

And yes on the issue of no longer testing for cell changes, I took find that worrying. If it's just testing HPV it does make you question if there's easier, gentler ways for us to test ourselves at home!

An investigation later showed the labs were performing to international standards.

Tragically, false negatives are part of every screening process worldwide. They cannot be eliminated currently.

For me, smear tests are excruciatingly painful, but mammograms have been OK. Hope that reassures you

I have a tilted cervix which they’ve said explains why smear tests are very painful for me, coupled with anxiety and tensing up now making it harder to get a speculum in as I’m anticipating the pain I had last time so it’s a vicious circle.

Although not not as painful as pp’s experiences, it’d still never put me off going, especially as I’ve tested positive for HPV in the past and they found some abnormal cells.

Some things I have asked for at the surgery which helped a lot;

• a longer/ double appointment if possible (nurse used to rush me in the past which made me tense up = more pain)
• no small talk - they think chatting will distract me but I need to concentrate on breathing and ‘opening up’ down there for it to hurt less!
• a smaller sized speculum - they assumed as I’d had 3 babies I’d need the bigger one (although they were born by c/s 🤔) and it does take her 30 seconds longer to find my cervix it’s better for me

In an ideal world I’d ask for gas & air, but they really would roll their eyes then!😝

I know nearly all cases of cervical cancer are linked to HPV but still feel it's a bit irresponsible to write off a sample as OK simply because there is no HPV present.

I learned this at my last smear test and it really pissed me off! I think it is irresponsible corner cutting.

Sometimes they are great, sometimes they are painful but they are so important. My latest one was brilliant. The nurse was older, really experienced and friendly.

A friend of mine lost his younger sister to cervical cancer. From diagnosis to death was 10 days. She had never had a smear test.

Me too. Not fun.

For context, I have never missed an appointment even though they have always been very uncomfortable, due to having an “elusive cervix”.

Now in my 50s, my last appointment was so painful I couldn’t continue with it. The nurse was flustered and didn’t suggest alternative positions or anything, which usually they do. I guess it’s atrophy, but she didn’t say that.

The nurse said I was low risk but she got the gp to prescribe some kind of hrt cream that I was supposed to use and then go back. I didn’t want to use the cream and didn’t feel confident about how the appointment would go anyway, so instead I bought a kit from Superdrug online and tested myself.

It was easy, pain free and quick, plus they tested for more than the routine would have.

If I was much younger and not in a 20 year marriage I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it but if anyone is in my situation, I think it’s better than nothing.

Agree mammograms are no problem whatsoever. Just a slight squeeze and awkward positioning of your armpit!

I didn't know that was confirmed, very sad for the families.
Screenings aren't reliable. I think more women need to be aware of this as they may ignore other symptoms relying on a clear smear.

I have to say, the title had me here!!
Very good. I was agog to read you had gone so long without going, but glad you plucked up the courage. Even though I had a more uncomfortable ONE (after the birth of first child), I still went back.

I don't find either mammos or smears comfortable. I have a tilted cervix too.

But I do them. Because the alternative is worse.

Why not? That's her experience. It's like saying you should never say childbirth is painful. The reality is that for many women it is (and sometimes traumatic too). Women aren't children who can't deal with the truth. People have different experiences.

So is there any reason to have them done rather than just an HPV test?

There is a clue in the “PTSD relapse”.

Its ment to find so called pre-cancerous cells that can potentially change into cancer cells. They may go away on their own or not. They may develope into cancer cells or not.
Where I live if they find these pre-cancerous cells, they repeat the smear test after 6 months and then again after 6 months. If they are still finding pre-cancerous cells they send you to have them scraped away in a hospital.

You can google more detailed info.

People are stupid, they know child birth hurts but they also know they can have pain relief and people consider the baby worth it. It's not the same as telling women that smears are horrible and they shouldn't have it done! Not having a baby doesn't cause people to die of cancer! As soon as women see a comment painting a bleak picture of smears, they pay attention to that comment and ignore all the good comments, thats it the damage is done!

Everyone is allowed to share their experience.
Not sure why you think you can react to it in such a nasty way.

if you have had previous issues then you need a full test as the cells will be looked at. If you haven’t had previous issues AND you are found to be HPV positive, then it could be argued the process is faster as the cells can be looked at immediately.

Now, as I posted upthread, some people claim there is a benefit in a health professional doing this as they may spot something else. I’m not buying this one. In my lifetime of experience probably 10 smears perhaps more before I stopped going, when the smear was done easily it was super quick. When it wasn’t, the extra time was all about getting the sample. there was no pelvic exam or check of the vulva. The staff who do these tests are trained in the sample taking procedure. Whilst they may spot a gross problem, they do not have years of gynaecological experience where they will have been purposely exposed to rare or seldom seen conditions.

I can no longer have smears. I have seen two gynaecologists. One laughed at the idea of NOT having a smear being an issue and said the chances of cervical cancer are tiny. The other thought this was a serious problem and recommend a smear under GA. Which kind of blows my mind as GA comes with its own risk factors. Yes, not BIG risk factors but the same can be said about cervical
cancer.

I got a prescription for numbing gel from the doctor prior to my appointment, the prescription cost 20 euro, same gel used for cosmetic injections, the doctor squeezed in most of the tube, it was completely painless for smear and coil. I have a sensitive cervix. The gel is excellent.

Oh stop with the dramatics! Are you saying anyone who finds them painful or traumatic should just put up and shut up? Surely sharing experiences, good or bad, is a good things as someone else might have had a similar experience and found a way of coping or managing, or there might be something that HCPs don't bother doing that will make it more bearable.