One in three people don't attend cervical screening!

[DomesticatedZombie]

Quick, everyone, get your DH and DSs and DFs to the doctors toot suite!

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/health/scarlett-moffatt-cervical-screening-nhs-23100780

New NHS campaign for cervical screening seems to be scared to use the word 'woman' too much.

A whole video in which the word 'woman' is not used. And an article that uses the word 'people' with some desperation.

'The full findings from the new survey reveal in the North East show that more than half of people said they were nervous about their most recent smear test'

I'm not surprised that hear that men would be nervous, tbh.

Thanks for the Independent article @oldcrone - it articulated what I've been feeling about the repeated letters 'inviting' me for screening: which can broadly be characterised as 'get the fuck out of my fanny' and once I've calmed down 'what is the actual benefit in statistics to me of this unpleasant procedure'? Although it doesn't say in her article what the very minuscule personal benefits are against the nationwide clear benefit of saving x number of women from cancer.

I will never forget being properly told off for not having had a smear when 8 months pregnant and presenting at the antenatal clinic with bleeding. A female doctor with her head up my fanny berated me for missing one year (which actually was due to having had a miscarriage immediately before the pregnancy - which distracts the mind somewhat from booking a smear -esp when bleeding for 6 weeks straight). I'm afraid it angered me so much I haven't had a smear since. I felt guilty about my irrationality, but actually I just. Don't. Want it

Although it doesn't say in her article what the very minuscule personal benefits are against the nationwide clear benefit of saving x number of women from cancer.

She does say that most of the women who have further investigations or treatment would never have got cancer.

most cervical-cell changes found at screening will not lead to cervical cancer. The problem is we can't predict which will, so all need further monitoring or treatment. A study from Bristol in 2003 found that 1,000 women have to be screened for 35 years to prevent one death from cervical cancer; and to prevent that death, 80 women have to have further investigation, with 50 women having treatment to their cervices. Four out of five women found at screening to have "high-grade" changes in their cervix did not go on to develop invasive cancer.

It's not clear from this, but I assume she means that those 50 women who had treatment wouldn't have got cancer even without the treatment (I'm not sure how they can know that). Also, presumably all the women with 'high grade' changes were treated, so was the cancer prevented by the treatment or would it never have happened anyway?

I’m not surprised. The entire screening process, hell, medical establishment, is misogynistic. My default sex is not ‘pre-cancerous’ thanks very much.

@OldCrone I left my comment above before I read the comments and I was pleasantly surprised to see you shared that link. I’ve long been critical of smear tests. There is some great literature out there really outlining the facts. Frankly, smear tests have a good number of women spending a good portion of their lives afraid of something that isn’t likely to happy. Do those same women spend their time being scared of heart disease or lung cancer, both of which they are far, far more likely to get than cervical cancer. It’s a farce. And it’s been said that if the NHS tries to introduce smear tests now (as a new thing) it would never hold because the amount of damage, mentally and physically, they cause, when actually the bell curve of women dying of cervical cancer has not changed since BEFORE smear tests, is simply too high.

I also think it’s horrific how women police each other on this. Any time I have indicated I do not get tested, I have been hauled over the coals by other women telling me how stupid I am.

Sure, sure.

Never been tested. Will never consent to be.

Never been tested. Will never consent to be.

I’ve not been for a smear test for 20 years due to an awful previous experience. Am now basically being forced into one as I apparently can’t have the hysterectomy I need without having a smear test first. Though the smear test sounds like a walk in the park compared to the endometrial biopsy sans anaesthetic that I’m also going to be subjected to. There is no way on earth that men would be expected to endure something like that without anaesthetic. Funny how they know who the men and women are when it comes to expecting us to endure pain.

Well i hope a sizeable percentage of the 2/3 who don't take up the offer and waste the NHS's time and money because they have to explain the concept of sex and who has a cervix so they get the point that perhaps the use of the word woman might save a lot of time and effort.

Also not having a smear if you are a woman is an acceptable choice - i despise this emotional blackmail and coercive language directed at women and the way GPs are financially incentivised in a way that compromises them and creates a conflict of interest between themselves and their patients.

That's great news surely?

If 2/3 of people are attending cervical screenings, than that suggests that most, women are attending and also some men, who aren't sure whether they have a cervix or not, who are likely being turned away as its unnecessary.

I say most women as I haven't been for a cervical screening since my first in around 1996 so I'm clearly one of the 1/3 should doesn't go.

GCAcademic I'm so very sorry.

Of 3,000 respondents, 42% said embarrassment was a reason for not having had their check-up, with 34% saying they just "kept putting it off" and 28% worried it would be painful.

Is there an option for 'made an informed decision not to have one' and can we have that number published too?

I am assuming you could choose more than one reason as to why you didn't attend, because 42 + 34 + 28 = 104 and displaying the numbers in this way is misleading in its own right because it makes it look as if almost all 'people' were avoiding it for a 'trivial' reason.

These surveys are always totally loaded against women...

For balance the BBC article on prostate cancer uses "men" 15 times. Almost like it must be a useful thing to make the advice to get checked as clear as possible. To make it very clear to men that the have this small thing inside them they can't see that can go wrong and kill them. It also only mentions men as the type of people that have a prostate.

It also refers to fathers and dads rater than partners who ejaculated to provide a gamete.

I’ve been sent a reminder for a cervical smear test except I have vaginal cancer and I can no longer have my smear done at the GP as the radiotherapy affects the cell structure.

I had a colposcopy following unexplained bleeding but had a clear ultrasound. It was only my nurse being insistent that got me to gynae and I was diagnosed.

@littlbrowndog

The adverts were all over telly and radio in Scotland

It was people with a cervix

Not women people

Women in Scotland are not getting smear tests done. The rates have gone down

Maybe it’s because of the language used. Not every women knows they have a cervix

Just use the word women then we would kbow it’s speaking to women not just a random message

Those adverts gave me the absolute rage. Not once was the word woman used. I had to turn it off every time it came on. Every time I see someone say 'well, I haven't seen it' or 'it's just an urban legend', it's clear they don't live in Scotland.

And here's more hypocrisy from NHS Scotland. The cervical screening programme webpage - the word woman doesn't appear at all until around half way down the page and even then, is qualified by 'and those with a cervix'. The rest of the webpage just uses 'people or those with a cervix' without bothering with the word woman.

www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/screening/cervical/cervical-screening-smear-test

The prostate cancer screening webpage?

Men.

Always men. Never 'those with a prostate' or ejaculators.

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/cancer/cancer-types-in-adults/prostate-cancer

GCAcademic and MrsPnut, I am so sorry .

Have they changed the video in that article? I didn't watch it all but lots of use of the word women in the bit I watched.

1 in 3 people missing their cervical smear would be 22.4 million.
1 in 3 women of eligible age missing their smear is 4.3 million.
Bit of a difference, and important to know when and where to deploy information about public health to target the right demographic.

I’ve never been, & even if there wasn’t a very real risk of my embarrassing myself because [unresolved] trauma CSA blah blah* probably not physically an option going from time gynae discovered smallest speculum they had in theatre was too big. (They’d also not actually got my consent to do an internal exam, but that’s a whole other issue).

My practice nurse actually filled out some paperwork with me to get me taken off the list, but I’ve had another letter since, so apparently it’s not worked.

I know it’s wet of me but I find just getting the letters quite stressful because it feels like I’m breaking the rules by not going; & then the letters are telling me off for breaking the rules. Really quite distressing - however silly that may seem given I’m an adult & one is not penalised for refusing to attend smear tests - when you use both rules & pleasing others as a means of navigating the world.

• it’s fine really, just, you know, bit fussy about being touched

now you've reminded me: i had to google what a prostate was because i thought i had one.
even the prostate cancer campaign isn't very clear and my initial search results (must be at least 5 years ago now) didn't indicate it was a male-only organ. i had had my first child a few years prior and night time toilet visits had increased. cringe. the google search did sort me out. luckily i didnt ask the gp...
language should be clear...

Quick question- the letter in Scotland states that smears will be tested for papilloma virus and only further examined if that test is positive. If I’m in a long term monogamous relationship (25rears +) and negative, do I need to have further smears?

A woman’s lifetime risk of cervical cancer is just 0.65%, or a 99.1% risk of not getting the cancer. As they can’t predict what cells will or won’t revert to normal on their own treatment is offered for all cases of abnormal. I think even CIN3 has 88% chance of NOT progressing to cancer but reverting to normal naturally
It’s not widely known that GP surgeries get financial incentives for persuading enough of its patients with a cervix, or even women, to “accept” their “invitations “ to smears and have been known to withhold appointments for anything else, meds for asthma etc, as well as contraception, until the woman has a smear. Some go further and remove non screeners from practice lists. All illegal and unethical when even the “invitations “ now state screening is your “choice”
Dutch and Finnish women have been offended a self test at home for years now and their CC rates and deaths are among the lowest in the world but our NHS is still dithering about rolling this out here. Yet it seems perfectly happy to waste yet more money on more awareness campaigns that don’t even work. Uptake will probably rise a bit while practice nurses round up a few non screeners but will they return again? I’m sure every woman knows what a smear is, but the NHS seems not to regard a choice not to attend as valid. How many times on forms etc do you see the option informed dissenter/ informed decision not to attend? No, it’s all I’m too embarrassed/ scared of the pain!
I’ve not had a smear for 22 years and opted out in 2015!

Whattcchoosenow, screening is always a choice anyway, and a woman’s lifetime risk of cervical cancer is less than 1%, and a woman (or person with a cervix) in your situation who is negative, could well and safely choose not to have a smear again- and Superdrug do an online HPV self test kit one can order and do at home should they wish to double check, though I believe it’s around £50 so maybe not affordable for all
I think that everyone, including the space aliens on Mars, know that Earthlings women are harassed and bullied into smears, so I question whether attendance is dropping because of the absence of the women word. I think and hope more and more are doing their own research, decided this test is not for them and either opting out or just refusing. Our human rights over this test have been abused for years. Time to bury this programme for good.

MrsPNut . Wishing you well.

Nitro, I treat those letters as something akin to TV license letters. They are hectoring, authoritarian and rude.

It’s not widely known that GP surgeries get financial incentives for persuading enough of its patients with a cervix, or even women, to “accept” their “invitations “ to smears and have been known to withhold appointments for anything else, meds for asthma etc, as well as contraception, until the woman has a smear. Some go further and remove non screeners from practice lists. All illegal and unethical when even the “invitations “ now state screening is your “choice”

I did not know this, but it does explain the singular determination of my GP practise to hassle me to attend smears, when the possibility of actually being seen for any other reason is slim to none.

What women (and people in general) need is evidence based, non partisan information to enable us to make informed choices. We need clear language that is not driven by questionable theory.

I am a woman who does not have a cervix - it was whipped out along with my uterus 5 years ago.

Do you think I can get the NHS to stop sending me smear reminders? I am quite tempted to pop along and let the nurse discover it for herself.

There is clearly an issue here with the uptake of cervical smearing. But the way around this is by being CRYSTAL CLEAR. If you are female, aged between 25 and whatever, you need a smear every X years.

Transwomen do not have a cervix. Some transmen might, and will be aware of that - or should be. All the desperation to be inclusive just causes confusion. I wonder how many women there are living in the UK who don't know the word cervix? Not something I ever really ever mentioned or thought about until I had my first baby.

On the topic of treatment for cell changes, it's also worth pointing out that biopsies are still done without any pain relief as there is a widespread belief that the cervix has no nerve endings. A common treatment for abnormal cells is to laser them off, and some women have reported being in pain or unable to orgasm after ...not a surprise as the doctors don't take care to preserve nerve endings as they don't think they exist! Doctors say that these symptoms are 'psychosomatic'. I've been monitored for many years and have come close to getting treatment for abnormal cells, but they have always reverted back to normal on their own. I have to say that being routinely checked up in this way for over a decade now is fairly stressful.

The fourth word in the video is woman.

It's used again in the second sentence.

At which point I stopped watching because what I saw didn't match what was said in the OP.