Cervical Screening and Coronavirus

[Boredsheep]

I’ve had my letter through telling me my smear test is due. Called to book straight away as I always do but due to the coronavirus, the surgery isn’t booking them in to be done.

Is this the same everywhere or just my surgery?

Am I alone in thinking this sort of thing shouldn’t be left and that there is going to be a whole new set of health issues once we get back to some
sort of normality?

I agree, it shouldn’t be left.

I luckily phoned my GP in Feb as I was expecting a letter and hadn’t received one and worried it was because I’d lived house. They agreed I was due a smear and booked me in for early March.
My results (and my automated book a smear test letter) came in the second week of March, just before lockdown. I’m so glad I called ahead as I knew my last one was 3 years ago in Feb.

I would remind your GP as soon as lockdown ends to try and get you in ASAP.

Moved *

From my understanding some cancer screenings such as breast are of debatable benefit on a population basis but cervical screening however is definitely very beneficial so seems a bit short sighted to stop it.

No contraceptive injections here, but also no one will prescribe the pill because they cant do the checks in person,

The mini pill doesn't need BP checks. They've relaxed the rules on BP checks for the combined pill. If you've had a BP check and BMI check in the last year they're prescribing 6-12 months of the combined pill.

I'm in Lancashire OP. From reading on here it sounds like it is one of the rare places still doing them. The nurse actually said she was really quiet, the practice was only doing pre booked appointments and I was the only one in the waiting room.

I'm due mine and had it cancelled really worried about when Il be eventually allowed it done

Same here. Had letter for smear which I have been told can't be done at present and my implant is due to be replaced in May also

I was thinking about this only yesterday. My coil is due a change next month and I can't make head nor tail of the notices on the website of my local sexual health clinic where I usually get it done. Website says appointment only for specific reasons (but doesn't say which ones) online booking system is closed and they're not answering phones. No doubt they would turn me away if I tried walking in to make an appointment for another time as I've tried that in the past. No idea what I need to do.

@Boredsheep oh totally. That's our main worry (it's not covid funnily enough). The amount of problems this is storing up is horrific.

It's an absolute joke I'm overdue for mine which isn't my fault now I can't get one done at all

No smears or contraceptive clinics at my local surgery.
Surgery closed for face to face- phone triage only.
Neighbour has newborn and no health visiting service either they have all been redeployed.
Midwives offering much less in terms of visits too.

My last one they did was because of irregular bleeding they lost the sample after waiting for four months for a reply on results, I then fell pregnant so they refused to do it, when I did give birth I went back in at 12 weeks PP I was a week short of the 3 months they like to do it and they cancelled. I'm now overdue and need it done I'm gutted angry and upset. I'm 27

It's been decided that the risk of transmission is too high therefore smears will only take place if symptomatic.

Sorry but I disagree with you all. They aren't essential right now. Most cervical cancer is v slow growing so delaying it by three months won't make a difference. If you have cervical cancer symptoms you will of course be investigated.

The number of women the poor nurse doing the smears would have to come into contact with would be huge...thus her risk of getting covid goes up and so she'd be off ill. Then she'd be unavailable to treat those who DO need urgent/emergency treatment at this time and she'd have likely spread to to other staff members at the practice.

This was a decision that was thought through and is logical. Just book your smears for in a few months time.

Public Health England are responsible for screening programmes but they seem to have made no decision about postponing screening, unlike Scotland. I’m also overdue my smear and there is no guidance about this online for England, I think they have just left it up to individual providers (ie GP practices) to call, which is a bit crap really as they should all be following at least the same guidance about whether they should or shouldn’t continue for period of time.

It is very worrying, and I say this as someone who has a history of abnormal smears. Thankfully all is ok now and I'm finally back to three yearly smears...but if it had been this time last year, I'd have been very worried.

My DH was due to get a vasectomy in May, obviously cancelled. I'm on the pill but have been advised it's a higher risk one than they feel comfortable giving me because of my age, but the lower dose pills have caused mid cycle bleeding. Coming to the end of my current prescription and no idea if I can get it renewed? I'm hoping so? Small problem I know in the face of things, but I was so looking forward to DH getting it all sorted so I wouldn't have to keep taking the pill. He, on the other hand, is probably relieved

I had smear just before lockdown, 20th March, was overdue as Christmas and working abroad got in the way. I thought it might be cancelled last minute but went ahead. Got results back super quick as well.

My son has a routine hospital appointment in a few weeks at UCLH, not keen on travelling to central London but will do as it’s still on.

I read quite an interesting article about the number of seriously ill people flooding the hospitals in Wuhan, lots are very ill as they were kept at home when should have had appointments and got medication for other new conditions, now they’re very seriously ill with things that could have been prevented.

This is the article: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/15/wuhan-hospitals-overwhelmed-seriously-patients-now-able-ask/

All cancer screening in all home nations has been suspended.

If you are symptomatic, testing under the 2 week rule is still ahead. But the timelines for some cancer treatments are also being changed (on a risk/benefit basis). Transplant surgery has been completely paused as too risky.

If hospitals are not overwhelmed, and the signs are good that we might be spared that, then treatments might resume fairly soon. I saw a commentator saying that pausing routine screenings (bowel, breast, cervix) for a couple of months would be difficult but possible to catch up. Longer than that and it would start costing lives.

Nicola Sturgeon spoke at length about the necessity for this at one of the Scottish press conferences. No question that it was a anything but a difficult decision made with considerable reluctance.

. If you have cervical cancer symptoms you will of course be investigated.

If only that was the case when things are running 'normally, let alone now.

I had my smear done on 2nd April and got my results back yesterday! The nurse said the results could take at least 3 or 4 weeks so I was very surprised. I think as there’s less smears being done the results came back quicker

I'm now overdue and need it done I'm gutted angry and upset. I'm 27
Who are you angry with? It's nobody's fault

@Namechangervaver I'm angry the fact it was lost in the first place as i would of known what was going on now obviously . It took four months to be told it was missing.
Also that two other appointments was cancelled for no reason.
There was also a time I waited 1hr for my appointment in my surgery to be told sorry we over booked please go home and come back, Id been sat there the whole time.
I have every right to feel angry for how I have been treated for simply getting something done that takes 5 minutes.

I first went about irregular bleeding in 2018 that's how long I've been waiting

This is the latest guidance

@gingerbreadslice ah, I understand. That's annoying