Minimising women's feelings re: smear tests

[Gisla]

On local radio this morning they were talking about the importance of smear tests, due to rising numbers of women dying from cervical cancer.

However as part of the discussion they featured a cancer survivor who said the smears were important (fine) and that women should just "close their eyes until it's over".

I understand that the speaker was talking about something very important to them and it's obviously a very important issue, but it struck me that the language used was not very sympathetic to the very valid feelings and emotions that can be involved with such an intimate exam.

Besides the obvious 'lie back and think of England' connoctation, it also reminded me of the way women have often been treated during pregnancy or birth, and the idea that we just have to put up with invasive treatments and get over it. Silly women that we are.

I've had many internal examinations/procedures from smears to coil fittings, to dildocam for early pregnancy scan, right through to having a midwife put her finger up my cervix when I was in labour and then the scalp thing put on my baby's head when in distress.

I've never felt in the slightest bit embarrassed, or shame. The dildocam felt a bit like an, er, dildo which was a bit strange. When my baby was in distress I didn't care what they put up there so long as they got him out ok.

Each to their own though. The only time I'd pass judgement was if someone was putting their baby's life at risk by not wanting some doctor seeing their foo-foo, as was the case with a MN poster some time back who wanted to specify that when she was in labour no one was to touch her privates under any circumstances, even distress.

Obviously that's not got a lot to do with smears. If people don't want a smear test because they can't see that the risk is worth bothering with it, fine, but to not have one because youre ashamed of something seems a little strange to me.