Smears, Cervical Lumps, Hpv. Eeek! Just like to hear the words of a real person not google.

[eek229]

Hello.

I have name changed as am TTC and on a thread or two across there. First post else where so please be gentle not sure if this belongs on here or relationships actually :(

I / Dp have found a lump on my cervix, so started googling and have gotten myself rather confused. Not much came up other then cervical cancer and genital warts. My inital thought was 'I've been vaccinated for cervical cancer and i was screened before we got together (all negative)'. However have read that you can have the HPV virus and it lay dormant for years without knowing. This obviously got me thinking. About 6 months ago noticed 2 small red spot kind of things on the head of dp's penis. Not major, kind of flat, not oozing puss etc, but mentioned it to him and he said it was fine. Suppose im thinking now that this could have been a bit naive of me (but after all i 1. dont have a penis 2. havent really studied to many of them either so dont really no what is normal or not) and that maybe these are genital warts. So if they are genital warts could this have then been past to me and caused the lump on my cervix. However i do not have any warts/lumps etc on my bits?

So i will be of to the doc's on monday but i have never dealt with anything like this before or ever had a smear as im not 25 yet so have a few questions.

Will i be ok to see the nurse or will it have to be the doctor, as they will ask if i can see the nurse instead? I guess im going to ask for a smear test as im currently crapping myself tbh with all the stuff ive read on cancer, but will they give me one as im under 25? Or will the lump be reason enough for me to have one? If i can have one how quickly will it be done? When ive read things it says the smear will pick up changes in what ever it tests. Does this mean you have to have had one previously to pick up anything bad. For example if i have one and i have got HPV/abnormal cells (or whatever it is im abit confused by the whole thing) will it think that this is normal as its my first one.

Sorry starting to ramble i think. Thankyou so much for any posts in advance.

I think if you want a smear you can just see the nurse, the practice nurse does all the smears at my surgery, but in your case, as you're not going for a routine one but are worried about a specific issue, I would ask to see the doctor.

If I understand it right the smear looks for abnormal cells, and you don't have to have had one before for them to pick it up - they don't need a 'baseline' if you know what I mean.

I can't imagine they'd have a problem doing a smear because of your age - I'm in Wales and they start earlier, so although I'm 25 I've been having routine ones for years. Just because you're too young for routine smears doesn't mean they can't/won't use one to diagnose a potential specific issue, that would be silly!

Try not to worry too much about the cancer. At your age it is unbelievably unlikely. Get it checked, figure out what it is, put your mind at ease.

Ok so a few points to cover:

1. If you're under 24.5 then they shouldn't do a smear as its not part of the screening programme so don't be surprised if the GP says no.
2. Naoko's point about using a smear to diagnose a specific issue - this not how the "smear test" is used. It's a screening test - anyone who has symptoms is supposed to have appropriate investigations (such as swabs or colposcopy). Screening is for those without symptoms so a smear test is not what you'd use.
3. Lumps on the cervix can be due to several things which don't include cancer! It is often Nabothian cysts - these are a build up of mucus under the cervical epithelium or "skin" in glands which get covered over as part of the body's normal development (a process called metaplasia), there can also be cervical polyps
4. If you're worried then then seeing the GP as you're planning to do is the right thing: it's better to get someone whose used to what a cervix looks like to check it out
5. Your DP's red spots: perhaps he should get them looked at if they're still there?
6. Useful links:

NHS Cervical screening programme Screening ages NHS HPV vaccination background info

Hope your GP visit goes ok :)

My GP gave me a smear when I went for a specific issue last year (I didn't ask for it specifically, that's just what she did to investigate), which is why I said that. Did not know that's not standard.

They picked up abnormal cells on my first smear so they can pick it up on your first one. They will do a smear if you request one and it will be the nurse that does it as my friend was worried after i had mine and shes only 22 and they gave her one. Also you may want to get tested for herpes, this can cause red lumps and can not always be detected by a test unless you have a outbreak at the time. This can also lay dormant for years without detection.

peachybums - just need to point out that cervical screening is does not usually work on a "they will do a smear if you request one".
As I explained to Naoko, it a screening test for women without symptoms. It is an organised programme like the breast screening one, women are screened 25-65 and are sent invitations for screening. The programme is managed on the basis of women attending for screening at that time, so the workload and staffing in the GPs, labs and colposcopy units can be based around it.
If anyone has symptoms or concerns then they should see their GP but they won't necessarily have a cervical screening test unless they are due or overdue for one.