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.

That quote literally shows that the smear test is not checking for cell changes unless you have hpv which is what the previous person was trying to explain.

Cells are not routinely checked.

Australia has not gone to self-testing. It's vaguely available in some places.

You can opt out of screening by letting your GP practice know. You used to have to do it in writing. GP practices get paid for reaching percentage targets in screening rates. As a former practice manager we couldn’t just take people off the list without their express written consent for audit purposes

I mean, it’s your choice. The GP are ringing you because it’s a public health initiative and they are trying to, you know, pick up health changes early.

Instead of getting on your high horse on Mumsnet, why don’t you write to the GP surgery, it’ll save them having to ring someone who doesn’t want the initiative.

Guessing you’re an anti vaxxer as well? Don’t get bowel cancer screening?

Good luck I guess. Screenings are there for a reason

Normal smear tests don’t look at the cells for everyone either. That’s what some of us are very cross about.

It sounds like everyone has the option here? Or is that not the case in reality?

https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/self-collection-for-the-cervical-screening-test?language=en

Some doctors have "done their research" too. Dr Angela Raffle Bristol, to save one life from cervical cancer you'd have to screen 1000 women for 35 years and then follow up and aggressively treat the 50-80 women with abnormalities, many of which return to normal on their own. Dr Margaret McCartney in Scotland is a GP who refuses her own smear"invites". Professor Sir Michael Baum was tasked with setting up the Breast Screening Programme and has since called for it to be scrapped. Just saying...

Congrats…I guess

It’s your life 🤷‍♀️

Christ, read the room.

But as others have mentioned, even if the key part of the HPV test is the same in the shop bought test (which of course OP has to pay money for), what she doesn’t get is the examination from a professional which may pick up visual things that she would miss. And of course, I presume there’s a higher chance of human error in the home kits. For what it’s worth though, I do agree it’s concerning that they don’t do full tests of the swabs any more.

i’m also a bit stunned at how easily OP can scroll past without comment the dozens of posts on here where people have given their personal stories of how either smear tests have saved their lives, or conversely how missing smears have left them finding out something nasty a fair bit later.

I’m actually around 3 years late for my smear. I stupidly put it off when I was TTC. Then, ironically when I eventually booked in a test - following a friend’s diagnosis of cervical cancer - I fell pregnant, so couldn’t go. I sadly miscarried, so rebooked, but it was too early after that brief pregnancy, so I rebooked again for a couple of months after, but then amazingly had fallen pregnant again (that was after 3 years of TTC previously), so again have had to postpone. But I will be booking in that smear as soon as I can after my baby’s here. I believe I am low risk - only one partner, and we lost our virginity together, although he had done some messing around with others previously, and the guy I snogged prior to him had cold sores - but it is still not worth the risk of being blase.

Depends on your GP clinic and what they prefer to offer. My GP has self collection as an option but she prefers to do it for the patient because then she can do a visual check of the cervix. She’s picked up a few cases where the woman tested negative but her cervix had a concerning appearance. She referred them for further testing and treatment.

I prefer having my GP do it because I want that visual check of my cervix. I know that I’ll be negative for HPV because DH and I have only had each other as sexual partners.

FWIW my DH has been having an annual PSA blood test for about 20 years ever since we found out that his father had prostate cancer. He’s had some rectal prostate examinations and hated them. He had a prostate ultrasound last year and it was so much better. Didn’t even have to remove his clothes.

My doctor quoted nearer 97% but there are still cancers that will be missed because the sample is not screened beyond an HPV screen. But women's health doesn't really matter as much does it - who cares if women who go diligently for their smear tests die of cervical cancer anyway? We saved a few million quid.

To those who mentioned the late Ms Goody: Jade had adenocarcinoma, a particularly aggressive form of cervical cancer and one that is rarely picked up by smears (which she did actually regularly go for). I read her book. I feel Jade was badly let down by the system, she had several lots of cells removed the first being when she was just 16! She was left unable to poop because I think she had adhesions from all the processes she had done,

The level of nuance in your post has been sadly absent from many of those berating her! And even for the people who've talked about visual examination, I've not seen any talk about the number of cases picked up that way. Maybe we don't have good data, I dunno. But if it's important enough to mention, it's important enough to quantify or to acknowledge that might be difficult.

And the flipside to the point about people posting re their lifesaving smears is that the same people aren't acknowledging other posters explaining how actually, lots of women recalled for further procedures would never have gone on to develop cancer anyway. I'm not sure everyone who's commented on this thread even knows that.

So this all feeds into why I think it's going to be a difficult conversation as and when we away from the current screening model.

Fair, yes some responses have crossed the line and I don’t agree with that.

I have re-read all OP’s posts, whilst I still find her tone quite strong, it is absolutely her body her choice. Yes alternatives should be more widely available or communicated to people, and it seems the NHS has approved an at-home swab test. So that is good news for women who want that.

She is (seems) angry at a system that is sexist and puts too much pressure on women to have invasive tests - I disagree with her there, which I think is ok. I am glad my surgery writes to me and offers me the test. I’m

their lifesaving smears is that the same people aren't acknowledging other posters explaining how actually, lots of women recalled for further procedures would never have gone on to develop cancer anyway. I'm not sure everyone who's commented on this thread even knows that

Definitely and it shows how poorly medical procedures are explained to lots of people. It's the same on home birth threads - you'll get post after post of people saying they and their baby would have been dead if they'd had a home birth. It's just not correct, it really really isn't. But it's how people genuinely feel and crass to try to minimise what they believe was a near death experience.

It's your choice! I don't see how it could be selfish? It's not like vaccines where we are trying to reach herd immunity or eradicate it. Did you have the HPV jab?

I'm glad it was there for me though, it caught early mutations which could be monitored properly and they resolved themselves. I'm glad it was there for my friend too, it caught precancerous cells which could then be removed.

HPV doesn’t cause cold sores (HSV does).

Ok so let's go with your figure of 97% (the statistic we're quoting are in the same ballpark and the specific number is going to depend on which research study it came from)

There are 3300 women in the UK diagnosed with cervical cancer a year (this stat comes from a CRUK study)
3% of 3300 is 99. So potentially 99 women with non HPV cancer a year that will be missed by changing the protocol.

If I was one of those 99 women, I would be furious. But I'm also furious that waiting times for everything are through the roof, I see a PA when I want to see a GP, a whole host of medications aren't available on the NHS because they're so expensive, mental health services have been reduced to CBT and EMDR can fix everything.

I would also be furious if, given the current deficiencies in the NHS, they chose to roll out a new national screening programme, with all its associated costs, designed to target 50% of the population (based on any characteristic: sex, age, ethnicity, whatever) that intended to catch less than 100 cancers per year. But I think the problem we have specifically with the change in cervical cancer screening is that it feels to people on the street that something has been taken away from us.

I don't think this is a case of medical misogyny. I think this is a choice based in data. I do think there's a big problem of misogyny in a host of physical and mental health care, I just think this is solely about the numbers

There's a balance in the funding, I could end up as one of those 99 women, or I could go to A&E with chest pain, wait for 14 hours to be seen and be found dead in a corridor from a heart attack. Hopefully neither though! Where should the funding go?

Op people arent personally offended, you’re not that important 😂
You started an inflammatory thread that people have strong, polar opinions on. I’m not offended by your choice because it doesn’t affect my life in any way. But I do think you are being silly, that’s my opinion and I’m allowed to give it.
I don’t think people should be cruel to you but your tone has been combative from the start.

I get what you’re saying but to women with past trauma the test can be highly traumatic and retraumatising so the word minor doesn’t come into it. Yes, cancer would be more traumatic but I think we as a society need to have more empathy for women who find themselves in a position of not being able to access screening when they would like to. That’s why I’m a huge advocate for the self testing mentioned by the OP as a way to avoid an invasive procedure, at least for the HPV testing phase.

It's entirely up to you. I dont share your viewpoint though and have my smears and mammograms.
My mother and father only ever had sex with each other. She died of breast cancer.

I agree that in instances of trauma there should be another way, but that other way is less effective. I don’t think OP stating autism as a reason “cuts it,” and I’m saying that as a SENd parent.

There is a clear benefit to letting professionals do their jobs. The test is more likely to be done accurately and effectively by a trained professional, who isn’t in distress in their own bathroom trying to conduct it on themselves.

Sensory overload exists in the every day for many autistic people, and there are some things that even with that considered, are non-negotiables IMO. Medical treatment is one of them.

It's just a swab. A large cotton bud just like the COVID test ones. It's much easier to use than a tampon and doesn't need to touch the cervix.

I don’t believe we were all accurately self testing for COVID either, for the same reason - human error more likely in the not medically trained.

I also cannot see my cervix and observe any change, that I still wouldn’t understand if I could.

The ideal has got to be being in front of a trained specialist who can more accurately test and see changes.