Does a virgin need a smear test?

[TwentysixV]

(Name change)
any GPs or nurses etc on here? I’m 26 and have been called in a few times for a smear test. I’m a virgin-do I still need a smear test or is the only risk from HPV transmitted during sex. Struggling to find any answer online and I’m reluctant to ask the GP or go for one so thought I’d ask here first.

If you've never had any kind of sexual contact with a man or woman, you may decide not to go for cervical screening when you are invited. But you can still have a test if you want one
www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-screening/why-its-important/

Have you had any sort of sexual contact I.e. not including actual penetrative sex? If not you would be unlikely to have cervical cancer and can choose to opt out of the test

When you say virgin, have you ever had any kind of sexual activity ?
If not I wouldn't bother with a smear

The answer is no.

Sexual contact is the risk factor, not penis in vagina sex. Condoms don't prevent transmission of HPV either.

No. I was a late starter and got a few reminders from my GPs surgery. I was told that I didn’t need to have one, but if I ever had sex then I should request one within the first year.

This. If you haven't, don't bother.

PPs are sort of correct - as usual they've all assumed you live in England I expect (that always happens on here)!
In Scotland they test for HPV and only if they find HPV do they test for cell changes. So if you have the 1% of cervical cancers that are not caused by HPV then the test won't pick it up if you don't first test positive for HPV. So yes, if you have had no sexual contact the test is useless for you.
From the previous responses I guess that it's the same scenario in England. But other countries do it differently. I think Northern Ireland tests for cell changes as well as HPV, so if you have that 1% not caused by HPV then the test would pick it up and it might be worth going to check for that. But I'm not positive that it's NI - it may be another country I'm thinking of. I only know for certain about Scotland, so if you're anywhere else, find out what the test covers in your country.

Hi OP! A few stats from CRUK
A woman’s lifetime risk of cervical cancer is 0.65%, and that’s every womans
Around 1000 UK women die of cervical cancer every year out of a population of 30,000,000 women
Cell changes, even CIN3, can revert to normal without any treatment at all, it’s just that medics can’t predict which hence everyone is offered treatment if they have abnormal cells. The treatments themselves are not without risk
its absolutely your choice to screen or not to screen. I opted out of smears in 2015 and my last smear was in 1999. Informed decision Should you wish to test for HPV you can source an online kit for about £50 from Superdrug, it’s a swab you do at home, and they will send you your results

It depends on if you have had any sexual contact and that means with hands, fingers, mouth, and non-penetrative sexual contact.

If you have never had any sexual contact - even touching- then no, you won't have HPV.

Yes and no. No because you haven't had any sexual contact. Yes because if you smoke and are overweight, that increases your risk. It's good that you've been told to get one though. I'm 25 and still haven't had any letters for it and the receptionist at the GP surgery was no help.

@DandyMandy your surgery aren't responsible for calling you in for smear testing if you're in England - it's the NHS Cervical Screening Administration Service, although they would ask your practice to confirm whether or not you should be called (not sure the receptionist would be able to see that when looking in the practice system). Looking at the detail of the programme, I think you should have been called by now. The nhs.uk website suggests you should be able to just book an appointment, even without an invitation letter. I would go in and ask for an appointment.

Thank you for the information. I'm actually in NI so perhaps things are being ran differently here now.

It looks as if there is a backlog in NI, so this is probably why you haven't been invited yet.

Same in England - they test for HPV and, only
if that comes back positive, do they do any further checks.

A friend of mine had vulva cancer so I check regularly. Her symptoms were exceza like patches.

You can actually catch HPV from your mother during pregnancy and childbirth…but it’s rare. Then it will be dormant in you as if you’d caught it having sexual contact.

”Can HPV be transmitted during childbirth?
Having HPV during pregnancy shouldn’t affect your baby’s health. You may pass HPV to your unborn baby during pregnancy or delivery, but it’s unlikely. Studies have differed on the rate of HPV transmission from mother to baby. In a 2016 study, researchers found that about 11 percent of newborns born to HPV-positive mothers also had the virus. However, this research needs to be expanded. Most babies who do develop HPV in the womb will clear the virus on their own without having any long-term problems. In rare cases, genital warts may be passed on to the baby. Warts might develop on the newborn’s larynx or vocal cords. When warts develop here, it’s called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Treatment involves surgery to remove the growths.”
www.healthline.com/health/sexually-transmitted-diseases/hpv-and-pregnancy#outlook