Painful Smear Tests

[PollyPaintsFlowers]

I am due my smear test this month however the last one was so excruciatingly painful I am dreading it. I spoke to my practice nurse last month and she said the only other option was to remove myself from the smear register. Surely, there must be another option other than extreme pain or not having it done at all?

I hate them, my first one they couldn't complete but I have just learned to take deep breaths and try not to tense myself up and I can manage them now. I know it's horrid but you can get over it even if you react really badly first time.

Your practice nurse is dreadful. What an attitude.

You can do your own testing now. I think there are a lot of companies doing it. I've done it for a few years. Very simple and comes back to tell you if you have the HPV virus or not. I previously had treatment (Leitz I think it was called) but now no sign of the virus. I use https://www.check4cancer.com/ . They are very efficient.

Sorry OP I should also have said, there is actually no pain at all. You don't have to insert the collection stick in to your cervix. Completely painless and very easy to carry out.

Maybe the nurse wasnt very gentle..i never had pain with my smears?...

Of course you didn't. Of course you didn't.

Mine got more painful as I got older. The last two have been in the ‘big chair’ and they were much better.

I have a tilted uterus OP which makes mine painful as they need an extra long speculum to reach it! They didn't used to be painful at all, but it's happened since childbirth. Last time it took 4 attempts and 2 members of staff. I said I couldn't go through that again and they said that I could request to get them done by the gynae as they do them so often and with so many different women they have some good techniques up their sleeves! Not saying you have a tilted uterus but agreeing with you that sometimes they can be painful and it doesn't help when people argue they aren't supposed to be!

My last one was unbelievably painful (I'm post menopause). The nurse recommended that next time I could have hormonal gel that I would use for a few days to help - perhaps that? Before it was never that comfortable but was never painful.

There are smaller speculums, hormonal gels you can take in the run up, different nurses meaning slightly different techniques, and if all that fails and it’s still too painful, like me you can have it done at the hospital by a specialist in their big chair and it was completely pain free!

This. It was very wrong of your nurse to suggest you just don't have a smear! I consider myself a very gentle smear taker and I've seen many women who had previously awful experiences manage to have theirs done by me, but I still send the occasional one to gynae if all else fails. Sometimes it is just really painful, in which case gynae should probably have a check over anyway, but they do just have better kit and people who do it all day every day.

Mine are painful and I have a tilted cervix too. Can literally feel the. thing scraping the cells. Sore afterwards and uncomfortable for a few days. I take paracetamol beforehand. Relaxing during it really doesn't help.

Don't know how old you are OP but my last smear was unusually painful & what I later then realised has been an indicator of vaginal atrophy due to menopause (which was a real shock tbh as I did not believe atrophy happened like that (thought you had to be much older) nor did I really fully realise I was menopausal. I do now! It's a sign to start using vaginal estrogen & HRT if so.

@warningairbag btw these tests look excellent - great suggestion.

Have you tried on your side? Left lateral position they might call it, I find it much easier

I'm sorry it was such a painful experience and I have been there! I just had one recently after a gap of six years... I waited that long because I couldn't face it. In the end, I went because the surgery rang and encouraged me to book a double appointment with the nurse and give it a go. I was sitting in my car five mins beforehand and nearly bottled it, but decided I would at least go in and meet the nurse and talk about it. Twenty mins later it was done!
Things that helped...

• the nurse was brilliant... she took time, went in with the speculum slowly and stopped when I asked
• small speculum
• she made me laugh which helped relieve tension making it easier
• warm room (I hate being cold!!!)
• two nurofen plus thirty mins beforehand, don't know if this helped but definitely was not as painful as last time

I've just had my results back and it was negative 🥳

Did you know they only test for Hpv now and do not look at the cell unless positive. You can buy HPV tests online at superdrug now just with a swab.

I'm 45

Thank you so much for your feedback everyone, you've been more help than my practice nurse and the GP!

So the practice nurse was no help, after posting here I saw my GP and she just shrugged her shoulders really and told me to take some painkillers beforehand

I have some strong prescription painkillers anyway, so we agreed I would take two of those beforehand. I have an appointment for the smear next week. I am going to try it but if I can't do it at least now I know there really are other options I can fight for or just order a swab myself online

So you may well be in perimenopause - my last painful one was at 49. Hope they accomodate you with a small speculum - though my surgery were really bad for this. Good luck!

The last one had - when I was 50 felt like I’d been assaulted. It was horrific. Nurse was lovely but I was so close to telling her to stop. I was actually in tears and they’ve never caused me any pain whatsoever before then. Since then I’ve had a few urinary issues so have been put on vaginal pessaries for atrophy. It sorted the urethra problems out straight away so hoping my next (and last) smear won’t be as bad.

For me, it wasn't the procedure as such that was painful, it was the inserting and opening of the speculum.

When I booked my next smear I mentioned how painful I found it and they mentioned they could use a smaller speculum and also that I could insert it myself. Might be something you could enquire about.

And put a complaint in about the practice nurse's attitude.