Smear test - before/during/after... advice

[anonymousliv]

Hi, this may be a bit messy and heavily detailed (warning for blood) but I'll try be as cohesive as I can, but as the title says... I just need advice.

In January I started feeling really awful pain in my pelvic/hip/lower stomach area (it's just a persistent sharp ache and it's difficult to pinpoint exactly), it varies from my left and right side but it's always in the same place no matter what. That's been ongoing since January. A few weeks ago I got a letter saying I need to book an appointment for my first smear. I did so, and last Wednesday I had it done. Safe to say it was a bad first experience.

It was awful. It hurt me to the point the nurse had to keep saying "deep breaths, deep breaths", and not only did I bleed during it, the little tray she had her equipment on was beside my head, and she had to bring whatever sample she had all the way past me, and blood got on my hands, and she never wiped it off. After that she left me to get myself presentable again, and I cleaned myself up and just felt my lowest. She told me it would take 6 weeks for results, and I asked her about the pain I've been getting she just told me I need to see my doctor about that (but my doctor isn't taking patients unless it's an "emergency" and I just can't see them taking me seriously so I haven't done), however, I never bled since my smear but since Wednesday (a week after my smear), I've been bleeding. Is this all normal? Should I be worried about what could go wrong? Could the pelvic pain be causing the blood or is it the smear? Any advice or reassurance from your experience would be a big help

You should contact your GP about the pains as the smear is just a screening test. Were you not due your period then?

Please see your GP and ask for an ultrasound, your ovaries are on the right and the left. I had a smear test recently which was fine and the nurse stayed at the business end, your experience of the smear test sounds a bit weird

The position of the instruments is weird - every smear I have ever had has had the nurse keeping everything below my waist. Also they just take a small scraping of cells so I am shocked to hear that whatever they took from you was enough to cause dripping onto your hand on the way past. The bleeding afterwards is not normal in my experience, nor is a high level of pain. I find it uncomfortable to the point where I might wince or hiss but not to the point where I might need to make a noise (and I tend to be vocal). I often bleed a little bit afterwards, but it is just spots of blood for the rest of the day. Your bleeding is either a period or caused by something other than the smear, I think. Given the pains you are having you should see the GP.

Could you try to book an appointment at a sexual health clinic OP? GUM clinic? They will at least be able to rule out some possible causes of pelvic pain for you while you wait for a gp appointment.

They say to call first at the moment. Drop in clinics are not running because of covid. www.nhs.uk/service-search/sexual-health/find-a-sexual-health-clinic

How old are you ? Have you had sex before ?

I find it uncomfortable and have bled before after,but not s week after. I had abnormal cells and was contacted within a week,although initially being told would be 6