anyone out there know anything about SMEAR TESTS?

[notsoslimnow]

hi,went for smear today was told some info by the nurse which i found soooooo confusing!
what i understand is hpv virus is found in all women who have cervical cancers.so having many sexual partners is more risky. therefore if ive been married to the same man with no other partners for 9 years having always had clear smears, why do i need to continue having them unless i have sex with someone else?
gratefull for any info you can give as i am really really confused!

no. the HPV virus is a sexually transmitted infection that CAN cause cervical cancer. it is only responsible for around 80% of all cervical cancers.

if you have only ever had sex with 1 man, and that man hasn't had any other partners then yes, your risk is indeed lowered significantly.
but there is still a risk and you should still attend for routine smear testing.

because low risk is not the same as no risk.

i thikn mamazon has explained it well

i have also had the same sexual partner for 12 years now and got a borderline result that needed retesting , luckily came back ok, but i have to have another smear in 6 months.

What mamazon said. With bells on. You should definitely continue to have them regularly.

ah i see thankyou, i understood it to be all cervical cncers were caused by hpv.
so if i havent had sex with anyone else(and neither has my husband)! since my last smear would that mean my risk of cervical cancer would be reduced ? also what else can cause cervical cancer in the other 20% of cases?

absolutely will continue to go every 3 years, no question, have no problem with having them i suppose id just like to be a bit more informed iyswim.

cancer is a mutation of your cells , it happens. i preusume smokinmg and other factors do icnrease your risk

or is it your cells reproduce but wrongly? and in vaster quantities

sorry, am probably talking rubbish

There's genetics too. Family history can increase risk.

Sorry to hijack a bit but can anyone tell me if you can ask for/demand a smear test before the age of 25 if you have a family history of cervical cancer under 25?

You can certainly ask and I think with a family history you are more likely to be 'allowed'.

I have a family history of rapid cervical changes- all caught by smears thankfully- and have had smears since age 17.

Thanks for that. My friend's gp surgery have refused. The nurse actually said oh here's another one here because of Jade Goody....I'll do the smear for you if you want but the lab won't process it because of your age.

kiddiz

@kiddiz: that's appalling and to be honest you should report that incident to the surgery Practice Manager. If no joy then I'd be inclined to go to the PCT with a complaint.

Re HPV in general: it can take many years for HPV to cause cervical changes that can lead to cancer. That's why exposure might have occurred before getting married or being in a stable relationship.

A lot is changing in the cervical screening world; particularly a new laboratory test for HPV infection which is showing some promise in assessing women with abnormal smears. However it won't mean the end of the screening service by any means, even with the introduction of the HPV vaccine for girls.

NHS Info about the ages for screening here

NHS publication on the aetiology (i.e. causes and risk factors) of cervical cancer here
Also if you read this this is the national document for guidelines on indications for screening. In this section is where it says about not screening people with a family history of cervical cancer more frequently.

HTH

Thanks for that. I just think it would help her tremendously to know that the problems she's having with her health are not related to cervical cancer.