Smear test

[LilliesAndRosess]

I'm booking in for my first ever smear test this week and I'm absolutely petrified.

I've survived childbirth so surely this should be ok? 😂🙈.

It makes me SO nervous. Can anyone explain what exactly happens?

Please don’t put it off. The link below explains what happens.

I had my first one which was abnormal, so I had to have treatment to stop the abnormal cells turning cancerous. For me, a few minutes of of discomfort has potentially saved my life.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/health/news/amp41983/smear-test-what-to-expect/

I have one coming up in a few weeks and I'm nervous too despite going through childbirth and several smears before. Yes it's not most pleasant thing but it's not bad and totally worth it. It will be over in a flash! Good luck.

If you survived childbirth it will be a doddle. They don't hurt at all just a little uncomfortable. Basically they put a heavily lubricated quite slim device in and open it ever so slightly so they can get a swab in and take a sample. Honestly not painful at all!

That article pretty much says it all, but I just wanted to add that you're best taking a sanitary towel with you (the first time I had one they offered me one but my new surgery doesn't). You might have a bit of spotting afterwards.

Thank you.

Tbh I don't think it's the actual procedure that makes me nervous? It's the bring scared in case I got bad news 🙈 (I understand it's better to get checked than let it go obviously).

I literally NEVER go to the docs for anything as I'm always scared what they'll say haha

It’s absolutely fine and over in a matter of minutes.

You’ll undress just your bottom half. Speculum (duck lips!) will be used to open up your vagina can they’re smooth and feel a bit odd but not painful, then a couple of small (also not painful) swab samples taken from your cervix. Then you’re done and you’re out of there. No reason to worry or be embarrassed, the nurse will have done eleventy billion of them.

Thanks @Spam88 that's good advice!

My last smear came up showing abnormalities so I had to go to the hospital for a more detailed smear where they took some biopsies (uncomfortable but not painful) They have come back showing the lowest grade cell changes which don’t need treatment but need watching. I’ll have another smear in 6 months and if the cells grow they may remove them.

It’s no where near cancerous at all, but the fact it’s been spotted means it can be monitored and treated before it turned into something bad. If I didn’t go for my smear they wouldn’t be spotted, they couldn’t keep an eye on them, and then they could get out of hand. You’re risking far more not going, and if they did catch something it would be early enough to stop a big problem. I’m glad we have this easy access to testing, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want it!

You get undressed from the waist down (they give you privacy for this) and then you lie down on the bed and can cover your modesty up with a big sheet of that paper roll stuff they have. They then put the speculum in (which basically just feels like having a dildo put up you haha and they lube it up too) and they then use a little brush to rub on your cervix. Takes less than 30 seconds before you can get dressed again. The nurse was telling me last time I went that she’d already done 12 smears that day alone.
I’ve had bad results before in the post a couple of weeks later and had to go to the hospital to have pre cancerous cells removed a month later. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience but the whole thing took about 10 mins and I now have completely normal smear results ever since. Cervical cancer is often quite a slow developing one so if they do find pre cancerous cells it’s quick and easy for them to remove them. Think it’s something like 1 in every 20 smears will come back abnormal but only 25% of those will actually require further treatment as often “borderline abnormal” results disappear by themselves (they’ll get you back in for another smear in 6 months to check they have gone and if not that’s when they would send you for the further treatment at hospital).

Thank you. I had a slight bleed at around 24 weeks pregnant and went in to get checked over and they used what seems to be a VERY similar piece of equipment (not sure that's the right word! 😂) to check my cervix.

I'm definitely going to go... thank you for your reassurance everyone x

I’m sure it would have been the same equipment if it was to look at your cervix. I’m sure you’ll be absolutely fine but these things can be daunting the first time