Page 2 | Cervical screening

Lovelyricepudding · 2021-10-11T08:11:25+00:00

*"Uptake of cervical screening in Scotland has declined in recent years and in 2020/21 only 69.3% of those eligible attended appointments.* *This compares to 71.2% the previous year and 73.1% in 2018/19."* Wonder if there is any link with the fact that their recent campaigns do not mention women. I am amazed the BBC managed to use women in the article... [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58864822]]

Gladioli23 · 11/10/2021 15:35

My current pet hate is that I have to go and have a smear test that THEY WON'T EVEN LOOK AT unless I have HPV, but they don't let you have a (less invasive) HPV test and only have a smear if it's positive.

Congressdingo · 11/10/2021 15:36

@DaisiesandButtercups

So what if men show up in good faith and concerned for their health?

How will the health professionals explain to them that they don’t need cervical screening?

“Don’t worry Mr , you won’t get cervical cancer and you don’t need screening.”

“But surely nurse you can’t tell by looking at a person that he doesn’t have cancer and I have seen the adverts and people are going for screening and people are dying!”

“Yes Mr , that is correct, but not people like you.”

“What do you mean, people like me? What are you saying that sounds like discrimination! What sort of people get cervical cancer?”

“People with a cervix.”

“Well I have never had my cervix removed so I think I should get it checked.”

And so on.

Can we get a cohort of men doing this? To shine a light?

Theeyeballsinthesky · 11/10/2021 16:50

NHS england are having a tweet chat tonight at 6pm on how to improve engagement for inclusion groups (which groups they are is not specified)

Hashtag is #startwithpeople
twitter.com/nhscitizen/status/1447502705925181446?s=21

poshme · 11/10/2021 16:55

@Gladioli23

My current pet hate is that I have to go and have a smear test that THEY WON'T EVEN LOOK AT unless I have HPV, but they don't let you have a (less invasive) HPV test and only have a smear if it's positive.

I don't go for smears any more. Why should I? They don't look at them- they're only checking for HPV. Which I'm certain I don't have.

Baystard · 11/10/2021 17:07

I was invited for a smear before covid, didn't get round to booking it immediately, then heard nothing again except lots of messaging about how busy our GP practice was. I didn't chase it up as I wasn't clear they would even be doing them.

Perhaps if messaging from GPs sounded more like that "we'd be pleased to see patients for routine screening despite being busy" than "we aren't seeing most patients in person, phone for a telephone appointment, we're really struggling."

I did get a smear appointment recently (at my request - they never wrote back to remind me) but the surgery was like fort Knox and I felt like they were only grudgingly letting me in the door, I'm not surprised people aren't coming forward.

If I don't have HPV now, I'm unlikely to have it when next called - so I'm also unclear if there will be any point in going back next time.

PicsInRed · 11/10/2021 17:15

@Gladioli23

My current pet hate is that I have to go and have a smear test that THEY WON'T EVEN LOOK AT unless I have HPV, but they don't let you have a (less invasive) HPV test and only have a smear if it's positive.

Exactly. Give women the choice of a less invasive test, and watch uptake soar.

Ghostsintheshelf · 11/10/2021 17:44

Just wondering if anyone can explain this as I'm clueless and hadn't realised about them only looking for cancer if you have HPV.
Superdrug sell an HPV swab test that you can do at home and then send off, but say that it isn't a replacement for a smear test for cervical cancer. So if the HPV test comes back negative would that mean you probably don't have cervical cancer?

littlbrowndog · 11/10/2021 20:32

Nhs Scotland advertises on stv. Apparently 2 people every day die from cervical cancer

Who the fuck are these people

Erasing women from their death. That’s what it is

Eyesofdisarray · 11/10/2021 20:49

Well @littlbrowndog; they're trying to erase us from life so it only follows....

BraveBananaBadge · 11/10/2021 20:53

@littlbrowndog

Yet men’s charities recognise that the message should be clear

I like that - that's the way it should be. These campaigns have to have the widest reach they can to be effective, and they're not apologetic about it. Real common sense.

Makes it blatantly obvious why it is not happening with regards to women's health issues, too.

UnfinishedBunting · 11/10/2021 21:00

So, can we pay privately for HPV testing? I'd love to have a urine test, then only have a smear test if it was positive. I cried through my last smear test (trauma).

Can you tell from your last smear test result whether it was HPV+?

littlbrowndog · 11/10/2021 21:05

Why here in Scotland though.

Like women in Scotland whether dead or alive must not be named as women

Just random people dying from cervical cancer

So disrespectful

ErrolTheDragon · 13/10/2021 08:59

Covered in the Times today - main section after the latest episode of the disgraceful treatment of Prof Stock, not buried in the Scotland section

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/neutral-language-in-cervical-smear-campaign-risks-effectiveness-l2d6vcsz0?shareToken=cf4ab80432c1d1aaf546b3367dd2d1b8

Runningupthecurtains · 13/10/2021 09:16

There is a man on BBC breakfast at the moment talking about prostate cancer and men, no fudge, no humbug, no "prostate havers" or "persons with prostates".
I'm so done with this shit, women have different medical screening needs to men whether you wear lipstick or not doesn't change that, whether you believe you have an inner self doesn't change that.

ChristmasPlanning · 13/10/2021 13:35

It's conceivable that women for whom English is not their first language may not know they need a smear!

I live in a very multicultural city. When I had DC1 there were several women at pre-natal classes dependent on their husband translating the full class for them as they did not speak English.

nestoftables · 13/10/2021 13:46

But I've also read that at the moment people's smears are delayed by at least six months (Scotland) due to services stopping for a while during the pandemic and the associated backlogs.

TheMissingMango · 13/10/2021 13:54

GPS are overstretched, but hey, prior to booking a cervical smear, perhaps all people should book an appointment to check if they have a cervix, just in case.

Maybe they could do a mass cervix check for the entire population. Why not, the NHS has unlimited resources!

It would save hurty feelings in a small group of people, so well worth gazing into the entire population's nethers, right?

If only there was an easier, cheaper way to ensure all cervix owners knew they are cervix owners

Like one single word in the promotional materials....

OvaHere · 13/10/2021 14:06

@nestoftables

But I've also read that at the moment people's smears are delayed by at least six months (Scotland) due to services stopping for a while during the pandemic and the associated backlogs.

I rang up to book mine last week. Prior to Covid I would usually get an appt for a week or two later. This time I was told I would be put on a waiting list and phoned when a slot was free. By the sounds of it I'll be lucky if it's this side of Xmas.

OvaHere · 13/10/2021 14:06

Should have said this is England so it's not just Scotland.

CorrBlimeyGG · 13/10/2021 14:14

You've got to be pretty twisted to try to turn this into an anti trans issue. And downright obsessed.

ErrolTheDragon · 13/10/2021 14:26

It's a women's rights issue. The right to accurate and clear information, same as men get for specifically male medical issues.

Melroses · 13/10/2021 14:39

It also mangles statistics - 40% of women is 20% of people. Hey - we have halved the problem with one stroke!

If they do not have a proper definition of what a woman is, then it will be 40% of people with, or no longer with, or maybe never had for some reason, cervixes. Or something.

Meanwhile people with prostates who haven't a clue what a cervix is because it never applied to them will be cluttering up the phonelines wondering if they have missed something.

scochran · 13/10/2021 14:52

Most but not all cervical cancer is HPV related. I've had a horrible time with diagnosis and needed 3 operations and biopsies to assertion something spotted during smear was not cancerous. HPV was clear but I'm really grateful to have had this thorough check. Other abnormalities can also be spotted, including cancers of vagina etc. I'd never miss a smear.

KimikosNightmare · 13/10/2021 14:55

@CorrBlimeyGG

You've got to be pretty twisted to try to turn this into an anti trans issue. And downright obsessed.

It has nothing to do with trans.

You'd have to be pretty twisted and thick to think that.

KimikosNightmare · 13/10/2021 15:03

@CorrBlimeyGG

You've got to be pretty twisted to try to turn this into an anti trans issue. And downright obsessed.

In case you really don't understand the point, I'll explain using words with as few syllables as possible.

Everyone involved with male health issues continues to call men to have prostate checks. No one in that sector talks about "people with prostates". A leading prostate charity has specifically refused to use "people with prostates" because it is unclear.

On the other hand screening for cervical cancer is targeted to "people with cervices"

Many, many people don't know what a prostate or a cervix is. Everyone knows whether they are biologically male or female. Only men (or if you prefer biological males) have prostates and only women have cervices.