Smear test please advise

Aless

At my most recent smear test, the nurse had a look and said "Oh...that does not look like a health cervix", looked very worried and called the doctor in. That might make you worry!

The doctor, who has seem me before and she had told me this before, had a look and said it is just the lining of the womb over growing, don't worry. That causes some bleeding and pain sometimes.

I would say don't worry, they are supposed to check on anything that does not look 100% normal as that is the whole point of the thing.

littlesnuggy

I had my first smear the week before last (was 25 at end of May) and got the results on Friday which said there were 'borderline abnormalities' and I now have to wait 6 months then go back and have another one done. Leaflet says 1 in 20 come back like that, and often the abnormal cells will correct themselves. Now trying to make myself not worry for 6 months! Anyone had experience of this, and come the repeat smear was everything back to normal?

Make-it-3

Yes and it did settle down. Just make sure you diarise to follow up in six months for another test. In the meantime, try to get on with life and put it to the back of your mind. Obviously, if you do notice anything worrying see your doc before then.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Yup, I had borderline once, about 7 years ago, after the series of repeat smears, all normal, went back to the usual screening programme (and have just had yet another normal smear result).

Where I worked, the gynae said that the reasons for borderline vary from cells not looking quite right due to sampling error, due to the cytologist having a headache, due to there being a possible change. Quite rightly, even if it turns out to be due to the person looking at it not feeling 100% rather than there being cellular changes, it is safer to call for a repeat smear than to declare it normal.

A borderline result (and repeats) isn't something to worry about - it's something to be dealt with.

Shoshannah

I turned 25 in March and it took me two months to pluck up the courage to book my first smear. I really didn't want to but I knew I had to. In the end I ended up booking it on the week my mum happened to be staying with me so she came with me to the clinic (don't worry she stayed in the waiting room lol!).

It didn't go well - I was very nervous and tense and it hurt a bit. The nurse struggled to find the cervix and in the end she had to go and get a senior nurse. By this point I was bleeding and the test was abandoned. The first nurse admitted that she was quite inexperienced and I was the first women she'd done who had never had children! I bled for half a day and was sore for 2 days afterward, but I was grateful for her honesty.

After that I almost didn't go back for the second test, but I'm glad I did. I was almost sick in the waiting room I was so worked up! Second time round it was FINE - didn't hurt at all. I did bleed again but the nurse sent away the swab anyway and the results came back 3 weeks later saying everything was fine.

I hope my story doesn't put anyone off having their smear, I'm so relieved it's all over for another 3 years and I'm really glad I got it done. I used to sit and worry about all sorts of awful things like cancer but it has put my mind at rest. Please go and have your smear test!

somewhereweknow

I had a smear last year (my first one at 25 yrs old) that came back showing mild changes. A second one 6 months later showed moderate changes.
I then had a colposcopy and biopsy which confirmed cin2 (moderate) followed by treatment a month later.
I have got the all clear now :jbut have to have smears every 6 monthts - it was a bit daunting at the time, its not the most dignified procedure, but it's not painful (just a bit uncomfortable sometimes) - but it is worth all the embarrassment to know that i'm ok, everyone should definately go as soon as they reach 25yrs.

Surreystarlet

euronorris wrote: »

I think it used to be 20. That's when I had my first one anyway, then again at 23 and 26. They changed it not long after the one I had at 23, if I remember correctly.

But, this seemed to be a cost saving exercise which I don't agree with. Cervical cancer, or at least the risk of it, seems to be increasing in young women. Or at least, from my experience. One of my closest friends had her smear recently and they found pre-cancerous cells. All removed now, thankfully. Yes, she is over 25 also, but if they had developed before 25, by the time they found them it would be cancer.

What happened to prevention is better than cure.

The minimum age is still 20 in Wales and Scotland, but 25 in England. This isn't a cost cutting exercise, it has been shown that screening is less effective in preventing cancer than in younger women and abnormal changes that may lead to cancer can still be picked up from the age of 25.

Sasieni P, Castañ!n A, Cuzick J. Effectiveness of cervical screening with age: population based case-control study of prospectively recorded data. BMJ 2009; 339:b2968, focusing on women screened under the age of 25 was published in the BMJ. It stated that 'Cervical screening in women aged 20-24 is substantially less effective in preventing cancer (and in preventing advanced stage tumours) than is screening in older women'

Don't forget that these are just changes that may lead to cancer - symptoms that may indicate actual cervix cancer include bleeding between periods/after sex, abnormal discharge etc which if occurs under (or over!) the age of 25 should always be investigated to rule it out.

I work in radiotherapy and have treated many cervix cancers (with 99% being older than 25) - so I can't re-iterate how important going for your smear tests is!! And don't worry about being embarrassed - we really are all the same down there!!

dotstar24

hello OP. i can understand this is very difficult for u to post and well done for doing so.

with regards to the nurse saying you might have chlamydia...are you bleeding after sex? is it painful during / after sex? if its just spotting inbetween periods....lots of ladies have this but please PM me if you want to speak anymore about this.
i have a smear test tomorrow....the 1st since the birth of my 2nd child born in feb, i'm not looking forward to it, but i know it'll be fine... they always are! xxxxx

Karate

Posting on this thread just to add my positive experience of my first smear today (I'm 20, live in Scotland) and to let people know that it is not all horror stories!


I could feel the speculum going in, it wasn't uncomfortable or sore, I could just feel it. About ten seconds later the woman said 'okay thats your smear done' and pulled it back out again. I didn't feel anything! I'm very glad I had it done, as I had been nervous about it and worried about it being sore, when in reality their was nothing to worry about atall! She reassured me 'everything looks fine down there' and that I would get the result in about three weeks time.

GlasweJen

I had my first smear when I was 17 and a virgin, done by a female doctor and it was bloody agony! I got another 6 months later and it was a male doctor this time who noted my lack of sexual history and he was very gentle. Have had all of my smears (4 in total) done by males since. My friends think I'm mental but I don't mind doctors being down there at all, they've seen loads of women before.

I had a smear so young because I had a bleed which lasted for 18 weeks.