Reasons you're avoiding your smear test

[loulousilver1]

Hi all.

While I know I am asking for personal reasons as to why women are still missing/not booking/ avoiding their smear tests there is a reason. I am interested as I work as a social prescriber and would like to use my job role ways to speak to women about having this done.

I recently had a smear test after avoiding it for nearly 10 years, this has now resulted in me attending hospital appointments with the world and its wife looking at my fuff!

I thank you in advance for your responses.

I avoided for a few months as I had just had a baby and then I got vaginal atrophy from BF and the idea made me wince. Then I went, and it was painless and over in 60 seconds - I've had longer wees

The nhs cut it down to just a hpv test to save money, they don’t check the cells if it’s hpv negative, which is negligent IMO

It's not a money saving exercise at all. It's a more effective may of finding that small minority of women who are at risk of developing cc at some point in their lives.

And (I may be wrong?) I don't think GPs receive financial incentives for smears any more

However, I hope the trial of the home test for HPV currently taking place in London will be offered to all women. Those of you who are saying it's quick and painless ... wait til the menopause!

I cannot face having a smear test whilst wearing a mask. Having my nose and mouth covered just isn’t possible. So I’ll be avoiding it for the foreseeable future.

@JollyAndBright

Because a smear isn’t a smear test anymore.

It’s just an extremely invasive, often traumatic for many, hpv test.

Hpv can be tested for with a simple, quick vaginal swab, you don’t need a speculum, you can even do it yourself.

The nhs cut it down to just a hpv test to save money, they don’t check the cells if it’s hpv negative, which is negligent IMO.

I also think it’s laughable that GPs are paid ‘incentives’ for every woman they harass into booking a test, but they cut back the smear to a invasive hpv test to ‘save money’.

I think it’s ridiculous and I will not be having one.

Yup, this for me. Why would I have an unpleasant test for it to be thrown away?

Why are women still having to have traditional smear tests when they are not needed? I fully accept that I may be missing the reasoning behind it but it just seems so wrong.

Because for me it’s really fucking painful. Didnt used to be that painful, but it is now they’ve changed the equipment.

@kylesmybaby if a nurse had been so vulgar and unprofessional to say to me "show me ya pom pom" I'd have left immediately and would probably have complained formally to the senior partner. That is precisely the sort of conduct that has made me feel nurses are not to be trusted, particularly in relation to anything intimate.

FWIW I have a cervix that is hard to find and nurses have never performed a smear well or painlessly and have sometimes made me bleed. At my old practice one of the partners would do it for me but at the new one they don't. Therefore if the practice chases me more than once I will make an appointment at with a gynaecologist to deal with it. At over 60 and married for more of my life than not, I'd be inclined to push for the HPV test.

For anyone else who finds it painful, as your nurse to check if you have a retroverted cervix before they insert the speculum. Mine hurt and I bled after for years before I had one gentle nurse who explained that it was retroverted and I didn't feel anything with that one. It's been relatively comfortable ever since - and I warn them before I get my trousers off!

@Zesting check out the My Body Back project. They do smear testing and pregnancy services specifically for women with a history of rape or sexual abuse.

Seems pretty pointless now as it's just a test for HPV. As my last one was negative for the virus I won't be bothering again.

@LadyPoison

Seems pretty pointless now as it's just a test for HPV. As my last one was negative for the virus I won't be bothering again.

HPV can disappear and appear dormant can it not? Not suggesting you need to go for a smear (I've never had one and will never) but think a HPV self-test is recommended to have, ever year or so.

Cannot understand why there are still people going 'just do it, would you rather cancer?' When we've already established that there is a pain-free alternative that you do yourself in the self-test kit. Sure, it is £50 but i'd rather fork that out once a year than have a Smear Test. IT IS THE SAME! We don't have to go for Smears anymore, it has been that way for about a year I believe. Stop pressuring people and making them feel stupid for not getting it done.

This thread really pulls at my heartstrings. My sister was a smear test avoider, just hated them and I do understand why they are invasive and intrusive.

Sadly she died 4 years ago of Cervical Cancer. When they discovered it, it was too far gone. My lovely sister was in her mid forties and I wouldn’t of wished her death and suffering on my worse enemy 😢. Very similar to Jade Goodys experience actually.
I don’t think my family will ever recover.
I was really pleased to hear about the home smear tests as I think this is a move on the right direction.
The Jo’ s Trust have lots of useful information on there about cervical examination and cervical cancer is one of the easiest cancers to cure, if caught early.
Sending lots of love to everyone on this thread, hope I don’t come across to preachy xx

Why don’t I go?
Because you have to book 6+ weeks in advance at my surgery, and I have really irregular periods. I’ve cancelled 3 in the last 6 months! I need to be able to book a week in advance to be able to plan!

I avoid them because I have vaginismus, which most GPs and nurses have never heard of / don’t believe exists as a genuine physical condition and get shitty with me for being ‘difficult’. I have only ever been able to tolerate smear tests under heavy sedation or general anaesthetic. I have been for treatment for this & the condition now only persists in a medical setting because HCPs are so fucking pushy and rude about it. I have finally found one wonderful GP who gets it and sends me for a hysteroscopy and smear under GA every few years.

I think more women would go for smear tests if they could have them under sedation.

I think more women would have smear tests if they were legally entitled to time off work to attend them. Finding time for an appointment when you commute to work and handle childcare at either end of the day makes it almost impossible to fit it in. Especially as you’re also trying to coordinate it with your cycle.

@Bakedbeanhead so sorry for your loss ❤️

I think it’s ridiculous and I will not be having one
It's a pity that you don't understand the science behind it and drawing wrong conclusions, sadly probably spreading it.

Yes still get payment incentives, aactually it's gone up. because numbers have gone wwdownwn worryingly probably because of women mthinking they know better

I used to have smear tests but after so many family members getting various forms of cancer have decided I would rather not know

Once you nurse several close relatives through cancer treatment or end of life care your views on death can change

I have decided when it is my time to go not to fight it. So won't be putting myself through chemotherapy or any other treatment. Pain relief and maybe dignitas that will suit me

I have avoided it in the past because I am very overweight and I worry that the bed thing in the surgery isn’t strong enough. This is because when I was pregnant I encountered some really horrible medical professionals who made a big deal of my weight.

@dontdisturbmenow - how exactly would a woman spread cervical cancer? Since you (allegedly) understand “the science” so much better than everyone else .

By the way, I think you’ll find that an adult has the right to choose whether or not to consent to any medical procedure. Therefore a woman is perfectly entitled to decide that she doesn’t want to participate in the smear test programme.

@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum

I used to have smear tests but after so many family members getting various forms of cancer have decided I would rather not know

Once you nurse several close relatives through cancer treatment or end of life care your views on death can change

I have decided when it is my time to go not to fight it. So won't be putting myself through chemotherapy or any other treatment. Pain relief and maybe dignitas that will suit me

I appreciate where you are coming from.

I lost my dad to Pancreatic cancer. I fully believe that I have way more chance of getting that cancer, than cervical (cervical is less common anyway I believe, and I am particularly low risk). Pancreatic is thought to be linked to genetics, and as my paternal auntie also died from it, our history does suggest this is the case. There is no screening for this. My dad did even catch his cancer early, but the prognosis with this cancer is poor, and after years of treatment, we still lost him in 2017. I am way worried about this than the tiny chance I have of ever getting Cervical cancer.

[quote HarryLimeFoxtrot]@dontdisturbmenow - how exactly would a woman spread cervical cancer? Since you (allegedly) understand “the science” so much better than everyone else .

By the way, I think you’ll find that an adult has the right to choose whether or not to consent to any medical procedure. Therefore a woman is perfectly entitled to decide that she doesn’t want to participate in the smear test programme.[/quote]
I read it as 'spreading false information', rather than cervical cancer.

I do go, but I’m fed up of being lied to about them. “They don’t hurt” - yes they do for some. I have a very high tilted cervix and they can never find it and have to start digging. I’m often in tears before the swab is out of its packet. “They don’t take long” - yes, I’ve never had one less than 20 mins. I’ve had to go back 2 or 3 times as the nurses just run out of time / can’t be bothered / both. I always tell them this and that they need the long speculum and that I will bleed and they act like I’m being a drama queen until they realise it’s true. I’m always told to put my fists under my bottom - it doesn’t help, it’s never high enough, but it gives them an excuse to say I’m doing something wrong. Much as I hate stirrups I would definitely prefer them to this.

As I say, I DO go but I’m fed up of being treated like this. Men wouldn’t put up with this shit.

@Bakedbeanhead - so sorry to hear about your sister

@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum - I defend every woman's right to decline cervical screening but ... you do know that it's not looking for cancer but HPV/ cell changes that could lead to cancer.

Then you'd have the choice to have those cells removed rather than endure chemo, radio & brachytherapy to treat actual cancer.

Don't mean to patronise you, just pointing out to anyone reading that a recall after cervical screening rarely leads to aggressive treatment.

@Trinacham One of my relatives had pancreatic cancer. You are right it is the worst. Low possibility of survival and one of the least funded for research. Sounds like your father did well. We were told the average after diagnosis is 10 months. So very sad