Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Women's health

Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have medical concerns, please seek medical attention.

Original poster

Missing smear tests

112 replies

Georgiemack · 08/04/2023 13:37

There are so many 25s to 35s ignoring the invite letter for a cervical smear test. I had mine on Thursday, and the nurse commented on the current uptakes. Im 49, and have had countless smears, us 45 plus group seem to attend. Its not pleasant as we know, but its not the end of the world either. I thought id write this just hoping it might encourage others if they have had an invite, to make the call.

OP posts:
EmotionalBlackmail · 08/04/2023 16:45

I doubt the GP believed I wasn't sexually active. It was before the current start at 25(?) recommendation, so I'd have been about 21. She was a particularly patronising old school GP who I suspect with hindsight liked having a feeling of power over her patients. And I wouldn't have had the confidence at that age to stand up to her.

Also, I know GPs have targets and get paid for these being carried out. I was rather annoyed as I recently moved house and got an invitation to a smear test within two days of changing address with my GP practice. The current wait for a GP appointment is six weeks here and I'm still waiting for one. So get me the GP appointment I need and stop hassling me about smear tests! And, yes, I do explain why I don't want one and they stop hassling you for a bit, then they restart.

Snowjokes · 08/04/2023 16:47

My most recent one was overdue by about a year by the time I had it - couldn’t get childcare, then cancelled one due to illness, then had a faff getting through on the busy phone lines at the GP. So I think it’s people like me who this thread needs to aim at - the ones who just need a prod to get round to doing it! For those who have trauma or specific concerns, that’s a whole other discussion for them and their GP.

I must say, I had a very good nurse who did it quicker than I’ve ever experienced before. I’ve only ever had a female nurse, I’d complain if unexpectedly faced with a male nurse for that particular procedure.

I do think the HPV thing is going to cause a big issue with people not attending.

ReadersD1gest · 08/04/2023 16:49

landsharkr · 08/04/2023 16:45

I just want to address some comments I've seen on here as they are completely untrue.

I'm 25 and had my first smear last year. I had all of my HPV vaccines in school but still went for my test.

I had an abnormal result, and further tests confirmed that I had CIN3 which was in my cervix glands too. Also, no HPV present at all just the CIN3.

After treatment to remove the abnormal cells, all is fine now. But it could have been a different story if I hadn't gone for my smear!

If the sample tested clear of HPV they wouldn't have tested for anything further. That's the point.

Sh4rkAttack · 08/04/2023 16:51

kenadams86 · 08/04/2023 16:09

Im not sure if you are in the uk or not but you really need to clarify this advice because as far as I'm aware you should still attend smears every 3 years regardless of if you've had the vaccines. I'm a practice nurse and taking smears is part of my role. You really have been given the wrong advice

Show quote history

But she didn't say she'd been advised not to have smears, but that she'd chosen not to have them having learnt that they only test for hpv. People are allowed to make their own informed decision you know.

smileyplant · 08/04/2023 16:52

I'm 28 and Ive had 3 now due to moving house and then being at different GPs. The medical screening I have through work now does they too every year as part of my health screening. I take every chance to get one I can. My mum's best friend died off cervical cancer when we were 14. I had all the HPV vaccinations too. I don't care how small the chances are I won't miss it for a second.

slowquickstep · 08/04/2023 16:54

Just go. I went for all of mine even after military medics ( m+f) took 12 attempts over 2 days to get mine done. Having watched my Sister go through cervical cancer treatment and then die i really can't understand why any woman would not go.

Sh4rkAttack · 08/04/2023 16:57

I do think the HPV thing is going to cause a big issue with people not attending.
People really struggle to grasp the concept of free choice and informed consent in relation to this. Of course the vaccine is something a women will factor into their decision - why is this an issue?

cptartapp · 08/04/2023 17:11

dietcokelime · 08/04/2023 16:17

@kenadams86

I'm in the UK! I was told they only test for HPV, on the NHS website it says they check for high risk types of HPV and if none are found there's no further tests. I can't catch HPV as I'm negative, my husband is negative and there's no way for me to get it.

What's the point of attending every 3 years if I'm vaccinated, don't have HPV and that's what they're testing for? Not trying to be odd about it, but it seems the advice I was given is correct unless they missed something off?

You might have HPV. It can lie dormant for years.

Prescottdanni123 · 08/04/2023 17:13

Yes it matters if it is male or female nurse. Some people do not feel comfortable having a man do such a procedure. You don't know what someone has experienced in the past either. A victim of sexual assault could very well not want a man doing her smear understandably. There should be the option to have a female nurse do it instead. And a chaperone should be offered too, to protect the male nurse as well as the patient.

highfidelity · 08/04/2023 17:36

Never missed one to date, and have to say I am so grateful to my last smear as I finally realised that I had vaginal atrophy. Had I not have gone, I would probably still be in denial (and a lot of pain) rather than dealing with it and no longer having any issues.

Hopingforno2in2023 · 08/04/2023 17:58

I don’t go now as they only test for HPV so I do an HPV test in the privacy of my own bathroom. If it ever came back positive then I would contact my GP and follow their advice. When they checked all samples I had my smears but as there is now an easy, painless, quick, private and much less invasive test I will use that.

Snowjokes · 08/04/2023 20:15

Sh4rkAttack · 08/04/2023 16:57

I do think the HPV thing is going to cause a big issue with people not attending.
People really struggle to grasp the concept of free choice and informed consent in relation to this. Of course the vaccine is something a women will factor into their decision - why is this an issue?

ODFO. Of course everyone should gets to make their own decision. But the fact that only HPV is tested for means the view goes down the grapevine as “it’s pointless now” and people make uninformed decisions which potentially cost them their health.

tobee · 08/04/2023 20:18

Georgiemack · 08/04/2023 14:51

@Motnight

Does it matter if it is a female or male?
Back in the nineties it was mostly male doctors that did the smears, i cant see any difference tbh

I've always had a practice nurse; they've always been female. Since way back in the 90s. I always go for mine btw. Not my favourite thing but I do it.

tobee · 08/04/2023 20:20

I appreciate I'm lucky though.

adagio · 08/04/2023 20:28

Can’t see the point now they only test for HPV and bin the sample if that’s clear. There must be a less unpleasant way to check for HPV.

WolfFoxHare · 08/04/2023 20:29

xyz111 · 08/04/2023 16:04

I always go. I was found to have abnormal cells that had to be removed. I wonder what would have happened if I'd never have attended the smear....

Same. CIN3 so if I hadn’t gone, it may well have developed into something more serious.

qqq82 · 09/04/2023 07:48

dietcokelime · 08/04/2023 16:17

@kenadams86

I'm in the UK! I was told they only test for HPV, on the NHS website it says they check for high risk types of HPV and if none are found there's no further tests. I can't catch HPV as I'm negative, my husband is negative and there's no way for me to get it.

What's the point of attending every 3 years if I'm vaccinated, don't have HPV and that's what they're testing for? Not trying to be odd about it, but it seems the advice I was given is correct unless they missed something off?

Only if both of you were virgins with absolutely no sexual contact of any kind before you got together . It can lie dormant for decades .

I thought they couldn't test for all strains of HPV in men?

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 09/04/2023 07:54

The lack of information about how long HPV can lay dormant, and also that (like them all) the vaccines aren’t a guarantee are going to cause numbers to crash.

Add that in to the fact that a) getting appointments, even getting through on the phone to try and make an appointment, is harder than ever and b) women’s health concerns are routinely dismissed so anything brought up in other appointments will likely be played down/ignored, makes it a worrying time for women’s health imo.

Round here atm you can have a smear test on alternate Wednesday afternoons between 2 and 5… that’s going to instantly rule out loads of people.

Tarantellah · 09/04/2023 07:56

dietcokelime · 08/04/2023 13:53

I'm 30 and have never been for one - I've had all of my HPV vaccines, I was told they test for HPV and if negative there's no further tests. So for me, there's no point if that's all they're testing for.

I think it's more common not to go, I don't think any of my friends go either tbh.

This. I don’t have HPV and I don’t sleep around so I won’t get HPV. And if you don’t have HPV you can’t access a smear test, they just throw your sample in the bin.

This is despite the fact that I’ve never had HPV but I have had abnormal cells surgically removed in the past. And now they wont give me a smear to check they haven’t come back because I don’t have HPV. I said well under those rules you wouldn’t have identified the abnormal cells I had removed? To which they agreed, and said yes they would have either gone away on their own or developed into cancer without being diagnosed. Basically under the new rules I’d probably be dead by now.

Tarantellah · 09/04/2023 08:01

dreamonlucid · 08/04/2023 16:24

Does anyone on this thread know that you can get cervical cancer without the HPV virus like I did at 26?

I'm so worried for all these people just saying due to the vaccination they won't get cervical cancer, there is still a risk.

So are we saying now that the screening is literally only testing for HPV? That's something I wasn't aware of.

Yep. If you don’t have HPV they bin your sample and don’t screen it for cancer. So that’s three of us on this thread who’ve had cancer with no HPV. Under the new rules our samples would have been binned and we’d all be dead.

IsolatedWilderness · 09/04/2023 08:26

cptartapp · 08/04/2023 15:31

Not completely pointless.
I've referred many a lady who have had cervical polyps for example, (which can turn nasty) who had no symptoms.

This is why I will keep going and not do self-swabs. Visual inspection is important - for polyps, early visual changes, vulval cancer, etc. There is no replacement for a full exam, smear or not.

MintJulia · 09/04/2023 08:30

@dietcokelime 'What's the point of attending every 3 years if I'm vaccinated, don't have HPV and that's what they're testing for? Not trying to be odd about it, but it seems the advice I was given is correct unless they missed something off?'

When were you vaccinated? Until recently the vaccine used in the UK protected against 4 variants of HPV. The latest version protects against five more, nine in total. But it still doesn't cover all of them.

Dolares · 09/04/2023 08:32

I'm about a month overdue for my smear. Work/children/general life means I've not had a chance to call. At this rate, I'm looking at another 2 weeks before i have the time to sit and attempt to get through to the surgery by phone. I'm not avoiding getting it done, but I know that it will be very unpleasant for me.

I also need my mirena coil replaced as that expired last month too. (I'm not sure they actually expire but that's the date on the card i was given) If I could get both these things done at the same time it would be great, but I suspect not.

dreamonlucid · 09/04/2023 09:14

@Tarantellah 4 of us.. unless you counted my post. I'd be dead under the new rules, no HPV and removal of CIN cells.

Swipe left for the next trending thread