Worried about missed smear test...

[smearworries]

Really just looking for some advice or anyone else who has been in this situation.

A little bit of back story:

2010: routine smear, at age of 21 as I was at uni in Wales, finds severe cell changes. After a colposcopy, I had cold coagulation to remove the CIN3 cells. I'm told at this stage that I will need 6 monthly colposcopies for a year and then yearly smear tests with my GP for 10 years.

2012: I have some unexplained bleeding and my doctor sends me for an internal ultrasound and performs another smear. Nothing is found. Again, GP prints me off a letter telling me how important it is to ensure I attend yearly smear tests for the next 9 years as this one was a little late (my fault) and he 'wants me to take it seriously.'

2013: I've moved home to just outside London and attend my smear a year after the last one. This is normal and there is no evidence of HPV so they send me a letter saying I needn't return for my next smear for 3 years.

2014: I book my annual appointment, attend and again this comes back normal but they inform the doctor it has been repeated too soon.

2015: I attend a year later and the nurse refuses to do the test as 'they will just throw it in the bin because it's too early.' I explain that I should be having yearly smears until 2021 but she refuses and says I should take it up with the practice manager. Thankfully, I have copies of all correspondence so I provide the PM with them and she contacts the hospital, who still say that guidelines have changed and as there is no evidence of HPV, I do not need to attend until 2018.

I'm confused really: it's been nearly 2 years since my last one and I'm starting to feel a bit nervous and uncomfortable about the whole situation. When I was discharged from hospital care, after my treatment and follow up colposcopies, they were so clear that I needed to have a yearly smears for a decade and now apparently it's absolutely fine that I'm not.

As not to drip feed, I'm currently pregnant so can't have one anyway right now. Any advice regarding how to proceed would be hugely welcome: even if it's just to tell me to grow up, listen to what I'm being told now and leave it until next year. Thanks

As your 2012 and 2014 smears showed that everything was fine, I wouldn't worry too much. Plus as you're pregnant theres really nothing that they will do anyway so I wouldn't spend this time stressing too much about something that can't be changed.

As soon as you have the baby I would query with your GP why you're been told the next one is 2018 (because surely it should be this year, being that smears are usually every 3 years, and your last one was in 2014?).

Stick with your gut and push for a test as soon as possible after having your baby.
You can have a smear in pregnancy it's just not recommended and may confuse the results. It's probably better to wait therefore.
If your GP won't do go private and get it done.

Policies change, that's why you're not getting one yearly. But if you are concerned then speak to your GP, although they won't be able to override policy without good reason they can at least allay your fears.

Hiya OP, I had a lletz procedure after CIN3 in 2011 and was also told I needed to come back in six months and then every year for ten years.

Two years into that ten years they tested for HPV at the same time and then told me that as I was negative for it I would be returned to the normal schedule.

I kind of felt totally unhappy about it but just accepted it I suppose. I don't believe that no HPV means no risk, I think there is a mistake being made here.

Surely if you want one anyway for peace of mind private would let you? At my place they absolutely won't let you have extra ones even if you paid!

Yes my history is quite similar to yours;

2007: Smear at 21 as experienced unexplained bleeding and pain. CIN 3 found after colposcopy and LLETZ performed. 6 monthly smears for 1 year then annually for 10 years.

2008-2012: Normal smears

2013:
Borderline changes. Colposcopy shows mild changes and to watch and wait. Advised to repeat smear in a year.

2015: Normal smear after 18 months. Really bad of me to leave it longer but I moved and changed GP.

2016: Pregnant at time of due smear. Advised to wait until baby is born.

2017: Smear at 4 months post partum has just come back as normal.

It has now been 10 years so I'm back to 3 yearly smears but up until then it was yearly. I am in London.

Ask for a smear when you are 3 months postpartum as this is earliest they will do it. That leaves it long enough for the cervix to return to normal after the pregnancy.

Try not to worry and good luck with your pregnancy.
Of course any unexplained bleeding or pains should be always be mentioned to GP though.

Thanks ladies. Very similar to your experience then @FrogsLegs31!

I suppose my biggest issue is that smears are, in my opinion, now accepted as being really important for women to attend and that hasn't always been the case so it seems massively counter productive to now change the goalposts, so to speak!

Stupidly, having a test privately hadn't occurred to me. I think I'll start 3 months after baby arrives and pay yearly until the previously recommended decade is up.

And yeah, I'd kind of just unhappily accepted it too but have had a niggling feeling at the back of my mind so re-read the letters from the GP, making it really clear how important it was for me to take responsibility for my yearly smears, wherever I was in the country, and this solidified my conviction that it's just a bit wrong!