I’ve never had a smear test and I don’t want one either

[Seventeenstars]

Controversial I guess, I’m 36.
I don’t think it’s necessary, as I’ve read about my risk factors and I don’t meet the criteria. All the men I’ve slept with (without protection) were virgins and yes I know they were for sure.
I also have no family history of any cancer.
My partner has prostate cancer in both sides of his family, his dad has it currently and he’s not even been offered a screening test for this.
I find this so frustrating and contradictory when women and men are treated so differently and if you refuse smear or breast screening you’re seen as an awful person, and those who do are morally superior.
Men aren’t coerced into invasive internal examinations.
I have an aversion to having things inserted in me internally and feel I have a right to that decision regarding my body.
There are home tests for HPV available, which I have done myself in the past - all clear.
My question is why do they persist with this archaic procedure when there are other options available?

I keep getting phone calls from my GP surgery trying to persuade me to book a test. I don’t understand why they’re always pushing it, but just totally dismiss other medical issues, which has been my experience several times.
Do they get extra commission for this or something?
There are even pop up ‘clinics’ and drop in sessions going ahead near me.

Of course I know I’ll be bombarded with replies saying I’m selfish, stupid and uneducated. I’ve even read other women saying that those who refuse should be denied any medical care!
But I have done my research and I am more than aware of the implications.

What then you ask...

In 2017 there were 3300 people in the UK diagnosed with cervical cancer (the vaccine was rolled out in 2006 so the first cohort to have had it would be around 24, the impact of the vaccine would be minimal across the total UK population of women at that point - ie very few diagnoses prevented)

0.3% of 3300 women is just under 10 women to have non HPV cervical cancer in 2017 in the UK

It would be massively unrealistic for the NHS to fund a national screening programme to detect 10 cancers a year.

Yes, with good uptake, the HPV screening process will become useless and it will stop. That will be the point of success, much like vaccination eradicated smallpox and we don't vaccinate for it anymore

One thing which discourages women from getting tested is the invasive method of testing for HPV. It's no longer a 'smear test' looking for cell abnormalities. The HPV test can be done non-invasively. Why doesn't the NHS do this and thereby encourage more women to participate? Is it just easier to treat us like cattle like in the old days perhaps?

The smear test is not very efficient in finding the precancerous cells. Its often falsly negative of falsly positive.

I am probably in the minority here, but smear tests just don't phase me at all. Nurses do these tests day in day out, it is nothing they haven't seen before. A smear test could save my life, why would I refuse something that can saves lives , it takes minutes to do.

You are naive to think you are low risk , cancer can happen to anyone. You mention genetics, but someone in a family has to be the first person to get cancer, it could be you.

It's no longer a test looking for precancerous cells, it's only testing for HPV.

It’s the same with other cancer screening tests, blood in your shit doesn’t automatically mean you have colon cancer, a high white blood cell count doesn’t automatically mean you have leukemia, a dense white blob on a mammogram doesn’t automatically mean you have breast cancer, a dodgy mole caught in a skin cancer screening and surgically excised doesn’t mean you definitely have skin cancer.

No cancer screening test that comes back positive means you automatically have cancer. That’s why we use biopsies to definitively diagnose cancer type and stage.

My 18th birthday and my mum wakes me up with 'happy birthday' and presents me with a letter that has arrived i
for me in the post that day... a smear test invitation. I was mortified and embarrassed. I then got reminder letters. So I phoned the surgery to ask them to stop the reminders.

Years later. Jade Goody then passed away. I booked a test asap and have had regular ones since.

I was so naive and stupid.

I always go to mine and they did find some abnormal cells, which i had removed. My colleague didnt ever go for screenings and did unfortunately get stage 3 cervical cancer. She is okay now but is infertile and the treatment was awful and means she is somewhat incontinent. I dont mind the examination but if you dont want to do it, then dont do it. But just be aware of the risks.

You can't couch your lack of critical thinking skills in political-sounding wordiness. We're not buying it. You sound plain scared and in denial.

I still respect your decision to have or not have any procedure you choose. But what is this conversation for?

I don’t know of any way to do the HPV swab without sticking it into your vagina. Isn’t it still invasive whether you are holding the swab or a nurse/gyne is?

Why are so many posters asking why the OP has posted? Do you do that on other threads? This is a discussion forum and the OP wants to discuss this - why is that an issue?

I don't care what goes where or by whom (nurse, gyne, dr or me) I'm so grateful we get the test

Up to you, your body, but you are obviously somewhat concerned hence your post.

I was 44 years old on my first smear. I hated the idea. A lovely nurse started at my surgery and kept saying to me that there was no pressure, but she recommended it. I guess I eventually trusted her to carry out the smear. It was uncomfortable but not painful.

The nhs is free to use and is offering you a service which women in other countries pay for.

Isn't it less invasive if you're taking your own swab? Apparently, urine tests are possible.

See also www.gov.uk/government/news/home-testing-kits-for-lifesaving-checks-against-cervical-cancer

Okay…so? You know better and you already decided. What’s the point of this post?

But it’s to try and catch cancer early - so what’s your issue with it?

Is it perfect? No nothing is.

But it’s one of the most effective ways to detect cancer whilst also being cheap and accessible.

We are not able to screen for any other cancers so efficiently.

No it’s not 100% but it saves many lives.

They got rid of routinely screening for abnormal cells for multiple reasons.

Its weird how you are so triggered by it.

You can have a private smear test to always test for abnormal cells if you disagree with the way the NHS do it.

Exactly this. There ARE other ways of doing it, yet they choose the medieval way. You can bet your bottom dollar that this would not be happening if it was men who had to go throught this unpleasant experience! They would DEMAND the alternative. And there is one for women, yet are all women being offered it?! No!

The guilt tripping and whataboutery and 'get a grip why dont you' type comments on this thread (from some posters) is absolutely shocking. Probably think it's OK that women were bullied and manipulated into having smear tests 20+ years ago, by threatening them with refusal of the birth control pill.

Keep us all barefoot and pregnant hey? And a nice short chain going to that kitchen sink. Go carefully across that cattle grid ladies.....

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Interesting debate.

We’re all entitled to refuse medical testing and procedures.

And important to be informed, to consider robust evidence, efficacy and if health practices are underpinned by sexism, racism etc.

However, I’ve never found smear tests a problem or even invasive. It’s only body parts. I wish much more screening was available, e.g. free regular optometrist and dental checks, which can also help detect signs of ailments.

At times I’ve been chased on screening and appreciated it. However, I assume you can email your GP and ask them to add to your notes not to chase you as you don’t want to be screened in this way. It’ll free their time for other things.

I'm grateful it's a free country, and women can refuse it if they wish.

The point is that the NHS cervical screening for HPV doesn't have to be done invasively like a smear test. There are other less invasive methods. So why does the NHS continue to use this old fashioned and invasive method?

Yes, of course, anyone can pay for a private test to check for abnormal cells if they want. This isn't any kind of argument in support of the NHS method.

Having a debate about a topic does not mean I am “triggered” by it. Why would I be? And what is it about discussions regarding cervical smears that seems to send so many women into a frenzy? We are having a debate about health policy. I am not interested in the emotions or the guilt tripping of the thing.

Men literally have a finger shoved up their arse to check their prostate.

I have had to have my rectum checked before and it’s one of the uncomfortable things I’ve ever had.
Its not normal for most people to have things go up your bum.

I have no issues with someone swabbing my cervix whilst also looking at the general health of my vagina and noting anything that seems abnormal.
My friend had a vaginal prolapse that was picked up but she just thought it was normal after having a baby.

But the facts are that getting cervical cancer or any form of vaginal issues is going to be a lot more invasive and painful that a quick cervical screen.

My mum in 1986 had selectron treatment for cervical cancer, she knew it wasn’t going to benefit her greatly but she knew it may help other women in the future.
For this treatment she had to lay on a bed alone in a room so radioactive it took hours for the area to be safe again, whilst having received ds inserted into her womb blasting massive doses of radiation at the cancer cells, these brave ladies had massive radiation burns in their wombs and vaginas needing to use dilators to stop them closing up and many had bowel damage and attached womb damage which meant they literally sh*t out of their scarred vagina.

And then someone like you has the arrogance to say you won’t have a smear test because you dislike the way it’s performed and you use prostrate cancer and your husbands genetic history as a counter argument.

The UK is only what 36 million females? On a planet of 4.6 billion females?

so yeah, add a few zeros to your number please.

Also HPV independent cancers go largely undetected until it is too late, meaning there is a greater chance that women with HPV independent cervical cancer go undiagnosed than the HPV caused type.

Women outside the UK dying of cervical cancer matter too.

And there are fatal metabolic diseases so rare only a dozen cases exist in the entire world, but they’re still screening all newborns for, then treating and trying to prevent deaths from too.

It’s kind of disturbing that you think it’s acceptable to not improve cancer screening for future generations because the numbers of women dying seem small to you. These are human lives we are talking about, they’re not just a number.