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Original poster

No pill without smear test?

121 replies

eilidhfi · 07/08/2008 16:20

I've just been told off for missing my appointment for a smear test today (I forgot I booked it, does your memory ever come back after pregnancy?!) anyway the nurse told me that they wouldn't prescribe me any more contraceptive pills until I've had a smear test.

I've made an appointment for next week so it's not a problem but out of interest are they allowed to do that? Are smear tests mandatory?

OP posts:
ElfOnTheTopShelf · 07/08/2008 20:20

Sigh. No, not the case at all. Just I am always surprised at the fear people have about smear tests.
They are not plesant, I'm not saying they are. But they can detect cancer.
Checking for lumps / changes in your breasts can give a good indication of problems.
I'm just surprised people dont have the tests, when the problem can be symptomless for some time iyswim

combustiblelemon · 07/08/2008 20:22

If you were prescribed anti-depressants, the GP would want to see you every so often to check on your mood. If you were prescibed viagra (and you had a penis obviously) your GP would want to see you to check your blood pressure and heart regularly. It's their medical duty and they're just being responsible doctors.

ElfOnTheTopShelf · 07/08/2008 20:23

Its the pill though.
It isn't life threatening NOT to be taking it, there are other ways of not becomming pregnant than taking the pill.

(though being removed from the surgical list is a little harsh!)

canofworms · 07/08/2008 20:24

I'm a practice nurse and would never withold the pill for not having a smear.

In fact, I would use the consultation to also discuss any issues/misunderstandings/fears about the smear programme. I then usually book the lady in at a later date for her smear (doesn't always work as a large proportion don't then turn up!)

If your nurse is saying this then I'd go to see the gp instead as she clearly seems a bit of a control freak

MsDemeanor · 07/08/2008 20:26

checking your breasts has no effect on your risk of dying of cancer. It's a waste of time.
Pregnancy and birth is risky. Women die of it. There is no evidence this woman has cervical cancer at all - this is a screening test not a treatment. The doctor has the right to check you are fit enough for your medication, but not that you aren't developing an unrelated (or at best, very vaguely and possibly slightly related) illness.
We all have the right to opt out of screening test. PRegnant women cannot be forced to be screened for HIV. Or forced to have scans.
Do you think men whose partners want the pill should be forced to have a finger up their arse to check for prostate cancer? After all, sexually transmitted infections can be a risk factor for prostate cancer, and if they are having sex with a woman who is on the pill and so not using condoms...

MsDemeanor · 07/08/2008 20:28

Do you think men who has erectile problems should be forced to have a prostate screen before getting any treatment, on the grounds that if they are able to have sex they may, IF they get an STI slightly increase their risk of prostate cancer?

tissy · 07/08/2008 20:29

"Every woman has a right to choose the tests/treatment they have."

In which case, make the ocp available over the counter to anyone who wants it .

People who have never been sexually active don't get cervical cancer. People who use barrier methods of contraception are at greatly reduced risk of getting cervical cancer. Cervical cancer cost the NHS vast mounts of money, and kills relatively young women if not diagnosed early. If we are to have screening it has to be targeted at those at highest risk to be most effective. I think it is reasonable to require people who want the ocp to have a smear (except if there are significant psychological reasons why not).

expatinscotland · 07/08/2008 20:31

I was at a surgery where they wouldn't refill your pills if you didn't come in and have your BP checked.

Fair play.

ElfOnTheTopShelf · 07/08/2008 20:31

checking your breasts can detect lumps / changes which you can then go to the doc about and see if there is a problem. Just as checking a mans testicles may detect lumps / changes.

Yes, pregnancy and birth are risky, but unless this woman has a latex allergy, not being on the pill doesn't mean she will get pregnant and be exposed to risks of pregnancy and birth.

saralou · 07/08/2008 20:31

really, checking your breasts is a waste of time?

Lubyloo · 07/08/2008 20:33

Expat - I agree that is perfectly fair. The pill can cause your BP to go up so that should be monitored as the pill has a direct impact on it. However taking the pill does not have any impact on whether you develop cervical cancer so it shouldn't be a condition that you have a smear before they will prescribe the pill.

MsDemeanor · 07/08/2008 20:35

So what about men and checks for prostate cancer then?
And yes, checking your breasts is utterly pointless. Actually, it's harmful.
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1035489/DIY-breast-checks-harm-good.html

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2289601.stm

MsDemeanor · 07/08/2008 20:35

So what about men and checks for prostate cancer then?
And yes, checking your breasts is utterly pointless. Actually, it's harmful.
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1035489/DIY-breast-checks-harm-good.html

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2289601.stm

saralou · 07/08/2008 20:37

this is taken from the royal college of obs and gynae website..

'cervical cancer is responsible for 28,000 new cases of cancer and 1000 deaths in the uk.. it is the second most common cancer after breast cancer for women aged 35 or under and the 12th most common cancer in all women'

www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=97&PressReleaseID=172

notcitrus · 07/08/2008 20:38

Reminding you about the merits of smear tests, fair enough, and maybe a reminder about missed appt.
But withholding a prescription on those grounds - not on!

Even if say you had high blood pressure I'd expect a discussion of the risks with my GP and then a scrip for a shorter time than usual so it could be followed up later.

MsDemeanor · 07/08/2008 20:38

The rise in risk of cervical cancer for women who take the pill is from 3.8 per 1000 to 4.5 per 1000. It's really negligible

ElfOnTheTopShelf · 07/08/2008 20:38

"Instead, women are urged to be "breast aware". That means being on the look out for changes in their breasts - including lumps, soreness or appearance - and reporting any unusual changes to a doctor without delay."

How is that different to what people are doing?

saralou · 07/08/2008 20:39

lubyloo... who says?

expatinscotland · 07/08/2008 20:39

'Do you think men who has erectile problems should be forced to have a prostate screen before getting any treatment, on the grounds that if they are able to have sex they may, IF they get an STI slightly increase their risk of prostate cancer?'

Yes, yes I do. Because their erectile dysfunction can be caused by enlarged prostate, which can be symptomatic of prostate cancer or benign prostate tumour.

I don't know about hte UK, but in some countries, a man has his prostate screened routinely if he visits a doctor's surgery for erectile dysfunction. After all, it's a relatively cheap test to carry out to rule out potential causes of ED.

Not to mention that prostate cancer can kill a person.

MsDemeanor · 07/08/2008 20:40

nobody is saying cervical cancer is nice, or that smear tests are bad. But women's body's are their own and screening tests should be optional for everyone, and not used as money-making blackmail.

Lubyloo · 07/08/2008 20:43

Says what Saralou?

expatinscotland · 07/08/2008 20:43

True, Luby. But I guess I'm coming at it from another perspective, because as the GP on this thread pointed out if you are not using condoms for contraception you are more susceptible to the strains of HPV which can cause cervical cancer.

And also, because I lived in the US, where you are not given a repeat prescription for the Pill unless you have a smear test and BP check, evne in community health centres.

I agree it's every woman's right to say no, but I'm really shocked and saddened at the number of people who are willing to take such a risk rather than have this test.

It may have saved my life and fertility 7 years ago.

tissy · 07/08/2008 20:44

lol at the staged photo of a mammogram in that Daily Mail article. The woman looks very relaxed, not at all as if she's having her nork squeezed in a vice.

I'd rather have a smear any day.

saralou · 07/08/2008 20:47

so when the government introduced targets that reduced waiting times... was that bad?

when the government introduced targets to reduce heart disease, strokes, cancer... was that bad?

when the government introduced targets so that anyone with suspected cancer was seen within 2 weeks and treatment started within 4weeks... was that bad??

yet hospitals and dr's are rewarded for these

and guess what they do with those rewards???

tissy · 07/08/2008 20:49

"But women's body's are their own and screening tests should be optional for everyone, and not used as money-making blackmail."

In the UK, where we all pay for everybody's healthcare, it is reasonable to ask sexually active young women, who are asking us all to pay for their contraception, to have a simple, cheap and pretty reliable screening test to reduce the risk of us all having to pay for their terribly expensive cancer drugs and terminal care should they get cervical cancer from the HPV passed on by their partner.