sorry for subject matter - smear tests...

[MamaMaiasaura]

I had to have my smear test on 13th. Basically i am a little worried by nurses comments and wondered if anyone else had this exp.

After she took smear (which was extremely painful) she started explaining ot me about 'abnormal cells' and that though they are pre-cancerous' it doesnt mean you will get cancer. She spoke about treatment as well. I asked her if she thought there was a problem down there and she said there was more discharge that she would expect. She then said about cells from inside cervix growing outside it..

She said results would be 6 weeks and if abnormal i would be informed. I have never have a nurse discuss abnormal smears like this before, is thisnormal?

2 out of my 3 sisters have had to be lasered down there due to abnormal cells too.

I am a bit embarrassed tbh

I'm pretty sure that the nurse wouldn't have been able to tell whether you had "abnormal cells" purely by looking. Discharge varies from person to person, and even from day to day, so I wouldn't think that would tell her much, either.

If you're worried, go and have a chat either with her or with your doctor.

I agree that she wouldn't be able to tell by looking.

If as it seems, you have had regular smears, then any problems will be caught in time if there are any.

For the record, I had an abnormal/pre-cancerous result and was called for extra smears. The results after this were normal without treatment and I have gone back to 3 yearly tests.

Fingers crossed that all is ok for you Awen.

I was told that I had a lot of discharge when I had my last but one smear back in 2001. results came back fine.

yes,as others have said,discharge varies from person to person and the nurse wouldn't be able to tell whether there were abnormal cells just by looking - try not to fret !

Could it be that you get different ammount of discharge at different times of the month.

..it's a bit eeeuw, but I always get more just around ovulation,which is quite soon after end of period,when you are meant to go for smear tests (ie. mid cycle) and one doctor said that there was a lot of discharge which quite distressed me - this was when I was in my twenties,since then I've had ds and know a lot more about my body's rhythms etc -

You are supposed to get a lot of discharge around the time of ovulation, it is a normal state of affairs - it becomes like 'egg-white - long and stretchy' and helps the sperm reach the egg. It is one of the signs you would look out for when trying to conceive. I hate when medical practitioners mention it as though it might be a problem when it is a natural part of the monthly cycle.

absolutely agree,mud

thankyou for comments. Feeling less stressed about it tbh. Could be post ov.. i never know if/when i do ov (pcod) so it could well be that. At end of day whatever the result i will deal with it.. just had a bit of a wobble iykwim.

Agree with you Mud. Causing unnecessary embarrassment about something totally normal.

(BTW, seee, i agree with you )

It is probably part of her spiel to explain all the potential findings and not specifically directed at you. If you feel uncomfortable with how it was left could you make another appointment with her or your dr just to express your concerns given your family history, and that you would like to discuss the results one way or another to give you reassurance. I assume she wasn't aware if that or I would have hoped she'd have been a bit more sensitive.

Sounds like she may have seen an ectropion which is completely normal but is some of the inside of the cervical canal visible at the centre of the cervix (difficult to describe, sorry...) and it can result in more discharge. It wouldn't affect your smear result at all.