Smear Test - should the speculum be sterile?

pipkin71

shellsuit wrote: »

No worries lol!!

If you can lie on your side then it should be a breeze for you.

My GP asks me to lie on the bed with my knees bent, on my side. She asks me to grip my bum cheek (the one that's in the air, not the one on the bed lol) and pull it up a bit so it's easier for her to position and slide the speculum in, and that's it!

Sorry, shellsuit. Another question.

I'm assuming your knees are together? How high up are your knees?

It's amazing the difficulties disability can bring. I hadn't thought about the smear until I had the letter and realised I couldn't have it done the way I had previously.

pipkin71

beks wrote: »

Pipkin - I would suggest speaking to the GP or nurse as there are always ways around it like how shellsuit suggests.

I will do beks, thank you, as I have to ask whether the nurse would do it this way rather than how she usually does.

shellsuit

pipkin71 wrote: »

Sorry, shellsuit. Another question.

I'm assuming your knees are together? How high up are your knees?

It's amazing the difficulties disability can bring. I hadn't thought about the smear until I had the letter and realised I couldn't have it done the way I had previously.

I'd say level at a right angle, if that makes sense?

Just the same as if sitting on a chair, but lying on your side instead.

Basically just enough so they can get to the bit they need to get to lol

bitzer_maloney

pipkin- when I was at uni our assigned nurse used to do smears on the side like that, it is as shellsuit says, like sitting in a chair on your side. Much more comfy than legs akimbo, but alas, not many nurses do it that way. Its worth asking though, you should be easily accommodated due to your disability

ukjoel

Glamazon wrote: »

what the OP has described is not disposable & there is no way a surgery would buy metal speculums and then dispose of them afterwards - way too expensive.

You would be very surprised at the practices used in some small single handed GP surgeries who aren't 'with the times' - I've seen some things that don't bear thinking about (shudders)

Fraid your wrong there.
My surgery uses metal speculums and they are disposed off after each use. We used to sterilize them but the PCT was concerned about a machine malfunctioning and not sterilizing them properly so they stopped it.
Nurses and Docs are given choice of metal or plastic and most prefer metal and they are thrown away after single use.
On my task list somewhere is to look up a company that recycles them but they just take them away and melt them down. They are not sterilized and reused.

I know its madness due to cost, wastage, etc but panic over a lawsuit seems to weigh heavier than mismanagement and inefficiency.

Cheers

poppycracker

I've had both, and prefer the metal one as the plastic throwaway one that was used the last time was really uncomfortable....

Anyway, just wanted to say that I would have no problems with a re-usable one, as I know that it would be sterilised between patients. No GP practice is daft enough not to in this day and age surely??

And just to add, anyone who hasn't had a smear test please do go and get one done as soon as you can, its a minute of uncomfortable as opposed to months of worry if you do develop something.

shelley_crow

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Don't wait to be called in, make an appointment with the practice nurse. I had my son at 17 and have had regular smear tests ever since - in my day it was an annual check, then they changed it to three years and then five (i think). But I always just made an appointment every couple of years and had a smear, as there had been some abnormal smears in my family and five years would have worried me.

I had my son at 19 and am now 23, I made an appointment with a nurse for a smear test and was told they wouldn't do it until i'm 25, emailed Department of Health because I was hopping mad and they said that they were within their rights to refuse until i'm 25. I don't know what else women my age could do?

BeenieCat

Thanks for that shelley, i actually did express concerns that i should be getting them too, although i didn't take it as far as you did (cos i'm lazy ) but the doctors i've mentioned it to have always said to wait til 25 but there's obviously conflicting information because i was also told we should get them when we becomes sexually active!! In my case that was about 15 lol!

shelley_crow

BeenieCat wrote: »

Thanks for that shelley, i actually did express concerns that i should be getting them too, although i didn't take it as far as you did (cos i'm lazy ) but the doctors i've mentioned it to have always said to wait til 25 but there's obviously conflicting information because i was also told we should get them when we becomes sexually active!! In my case that was about 15 lol!

Snap, I told them about my sexual history and it didn't make one iota of difference, It's very frustrating. I know 1/2 years doesn't seem like that long to wait but surely we could have got it by then (god forbid!) x

shelley_crow

In fact, here is the response I got from the Department of Health on the matter of smear tests for the under 25s - feel free to move or delete if it's going too far off topic. As you will see it says nothing in particular, can't help but feel it's a money saving measure (not a good one)?

Thank you for your email of 16 July to the Department of Health about the NHS cervical screening programme. I have been asked to reply.

The NHS cervical screening programme aims to reduce the number of women who develop invasive cervical cancer and the number of women who die from it. It does this by regularly screening all women at risk so that conditions that might otherwise develop into invasive cancer can be identified and treated. Over three and a half million women are screened every year, and experts estimate that the programme in England saves up to 4,500 lives a year.

A cervical screening test is used to look for changes in cervical cells and to identify whether further investigation is required. If abnormalities are identified, women are asked to have a repeat test after six or 12 months, or may be referred for a further test to identify the cause of the abnormality identified by screening.

As you know, under the NHS cervical screening programme, all women between the ages of 25 and 49 are eligible for a free cervical screening test every three years, and women between the ages of 50 and 64 are eligible for a free test every five years.

Screening does not start until women reach the age of 25 years because cervical cancer is very rare in women under 25. In 2006, only 2.4 per cent of all registrations of cervical cancer were in women aged under 25.

Evidence has shown that screening young women under the age of 25 may produce a false positive result, suggesting that there are abnormalities when in reality their cervix is still developing. This can lead to unnecessary investigations which may damage the cervix and possibly lead to premature births later in life. Screening women from the age of 25 reduces the number of unnecessary investigations and treatments in younger women, thus helping to reduce anxiety.

However, the Department is committed to ensuring that the age at which women are invited for cervical screening is based on the latest available clinical evidence and in the best interests of young women. That is why Ministers asked the independent Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening to undertake a formal review of the evidence relating to the risks and benefits of cervical screening in women under the age of 25.

The Committee unanimously concluded that the screening age should not be lowered, as screening women under the age of 25 can do more harm than good. However, it has recommended that that the Department does more work around the treatment of symptomatic patients, including new guidance on the management of young women with gynaecological symptoms, an awareness campaign for GPs and practice nurses, and an audit of all young women diagnosed with cervical cancer, looking into their symptoms prior to diagnosis.

The Department of Health fully supports these conclusions and will continue to work to ensure that women with cervical cancer are diagnosed at the earliest possible opportunity.

From autumn 2008, girls aged 12-13 have been offered vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) as part of a routine programme to protect against two strains of HPV that cause over 70 per cent of cases of cervical cancer. In addition, young women under the age of 18 will receive the vaccine as part of a catch-up campaign running until 2011. The vaccine will save up to 400 lives for each school year of young women immunised.

Finally, any woman under 25 who is concerned about her risk of developing cervical cancer, or her sexual health generally, should contact her GP or genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic. I would advise you to discuss any particular concerns you have with your doctor, who has the responsibility to make decisions concerning screening in such cases.

Yours sincerely,

xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Customer Service Centre


So if you happen to be in the unfortunate 2.4% of women who are under 25 and develop cervical cancer, what then? A friend of mine developed cervical cancer at 21 and was lucky enough to be in the days when screening was from 18. She had no symptoms and ended up having an operation to remove cancerous cells.

Scary though isn't it?