Why are my smear results taking so bloody long??!!

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Its been 6 weeks this coming Wednesday since I had it done. The nurse did say the results will take up to 6 weeks but I thought that was an over-estimate to cover their backs!!

Can I assume that all is well otherwise I would have been contacted by now? And ffs - what have they been doing with my sample or the letter for the last 6 weeks!!!

thwy all take around 6 weeks!

nothing personal !

At my last one I was told I wouldn't hear unless there was a problem but I could phone and check if I wanted to.

I would phone the surgery for your results.

Letters do go astray. And a number of samples have to be double checked for quality control purposes so it can take longer.

I've rung the surgery but they keep saying its nothing to do with them and will only chase once the 6 week deadline has passed...getting cheesed off with it now. Next time am going private!!!

There's a long backlog in the labs looking at routine smear samples - looking at each sample can take over 5 minutes for an expert, and there's not very many people hired to do the work (and it's a bloody boring job!)

Labs are slowly switching over to using fluorescent marker systems so that most samples can be machine-read, which will help.

I used to work in a medical research lab and bring back an extra smear sample so I could look at it myself - I figured I could spot anything really nasty...

Normally, the longer you're waiting, the better the outlook... Abnormal results tend to come back fairly quickly. Except when they make a real cock-up: I got a reminder letter that I was due to have a smear test about 6 weeks after I'd had a smear test. Three days after that, I got a letter informing me I had very abnormal cells (CIN 3) and needed a colposcopy. Nothing abnormal was found at the colposcopy... Sometimes I worry about whose result I got.

Ahh....I'm a bit antsy as want to start ttc no two and waiting for the all clear you see...not that I've explained that to the doctors receptionists!!

'I want my results...I'm ovulating and don't want to miss my window'