For women: What is it like to have a cervical smear test?!
Question: I am 21, and keep on getting these stupid letters sent to me asking me to have a smear. I am too frightened to go though; a friend of mine said she had one, and they got this thing called a spectrum(?) which stretches open the vagina, and then the dr/nurse has to scrape a spatula thing on the cervix. I once had a routine STI check a couple of years ago at the hospital, but the dr could barely do it as I was screaming and terrified. She put me off completely as well, started laughing with the nurse and taking the mick saying "For Gods sake, its nothing like having a penis up you!" I felt so intimidated I refused to go back. Now I am being constantly sent letters. How do I get them to stop sending me them? Have verbally said not to, but still the damn idiots keep sending me them out! Thanks
Answers: I am 21, and keep on getting these stupid letters sent to me asking me to have a smear. I am too frightened to go though; a friend of mine said she had one, and they got this thing called a spectrum(?) which stretches open the vagina, and then the dr/nurse has to scrape a spatula thing on the cervix. I once had a routine STI check a couple of years ago at the hospital, but the dr could barely do it as I was screaming and terrified. She put me off completely as well, started laughing with the nurse and taking the mick saying "For Gods sake, its nothing like having a penis up you!" I felt so intimidated I refused to go back. Now I am being constantly sent letters. How do I get them to stop sending me them? Have verbally said not to, but still the damn idiots keep sending me them out! Thanks
Its really important you have these tests.I had a friend who died from cervical cancer (she only found out she had it when pregnant with her second child and started bleeding heavily).
Her two children were left motherless at the ages of 4 years and 9 months. Regular smear tests would have saved her.
If you just relax when you have them its just slightly uncomfortable. Surely a little discomfort is better than what happened to my dear friend Deanna. xx
Cervical smears are a necessity. No one enjoys going for them but know that they must. Its a little discomfort but nothing major. Go and get it done.
Rather invasive, but prudent.
I've recently had one - they are OK. Not very comfortable but not that unpleasant and it's better to get tested. Make an appointment and explain it's your first visit and that you are nervous.
i thought they were putting off testing until you were now 25 yrs old ?
i think u shud go through with it and have one it isnt painful theres no need to be scared !!
i had one like you for regular check up and my nurse was wicked she made me feel so comfortable and she was non-judmental aswell !!
just make sure you get a nice nurse im sure u will be ok !!
You are a silly girl. If you ended up with cervical cancer because of this, you would be one very sorry lady indeed. It is nothing. The reason why it was an ordeal the last time was due to you tensing up. Just lie back and think of England or where ever you are from and it'll be over in minutes. The nurse was right, and believe me, when you get yourself pregnant, you will have a lot more to put up with for the sake of the baby and you won't think twice about that.
write them a letter demanding they stop contacting you.
Find yourself a dr tht you are comfotable with to have this done. It only takes a few minutes and feels just like a little stractch. If you are active, you should have this done yearly. It will detect any cancer early and you can get the proper treatment. Not doing it because its uncomfortable can cuase you to die and early death that could have been prevented.
Please have it done soon with a dr that you are comfortable with.
Best of lcuk
Go for one. They aren't that bad and only take a couple of minutes.
Its in your best interest to go. Don't be scared.
You can ask your doctor to send you a waiver form saying you don't want to have them.
The smear is uncomfortable but it doesn't hurt and most women have them.
It is the best way to make sure you don't get cervical cancer as the smear catches any abnormal cells really early so that they can be treated.
If I were you I'd find a different, more sympathetic, nurse and have them done because they do save lives.
EDIT: Also don't think just because you are young cancer won't happen to you or that your results would probably be fine, I've just turned 25 and have had two abnormal results, if my next one is abnormal I have to go to the hospital to get it sorted so I am hoping very much that I will be absolutely fine, however if I hadn't had the smears I wouldn't know that some of the cells are abnormal.
Cervical Smear tests are INCREDIBLY important - and it sounds like you had a bad experience in the past so its understandable to worry.
the letters are automatically generated by your local health authority becasue you are long overdue a test.
You need to get this done.
If you dont want your GP to do the test (If they are male or you would be more comfortable with a stranger doing it) then thats fine - your GP can arrange fro another doctor to do it. Alternatively you can go to a family planning clinic. I have found these are the best people to do this kind of thing. The practitioners are usually female - and they specialise in that kind of thing so will help you relax and put you at ease.
Explain in advance that you are nervous and they will do their best to talk you through the process. If you are nervous it will take longer and be more uncomfortable.
you truly NEED to have this test done...
okay it might not be nice...
but could save your life
an ultimately thats far more important....
Did you refuse to have jabs at school by any chance aswell?
Ask youself a different question.
"Do I want cancer?, and if I get Cancer do I want to know about it so I can do something about it?"
A cervical smear takes about 5 minutes, you may experience a little discomfort, but it does not hurt, you need to wise up and get down to your GP.....
They are not sending these letters for the benefit of their health its yours they are interested in..... a couple of minutes of discomfort compared to cervical cancer.... You choose!!!!!!!
its never a pleasant thing...but not so bad if you totally relax. you have to go honey as it is so important. they can tell if you might have cervical cancer in 10 yrs time...just from that smear & they can act quickly...it doesnt last long - so DO go!
2 mins of ebarrassment but might just save your life
It's a bit uncomfortable, but it's nothing really. It only takes a minute. Try to relax and breathe deeply when it's being done and this will make things easier.
Let me be totally honest, there is absolutely nothing to it. I really don't mind getting it done and Ive been for 3 in total now as my second one came back with abnormal cell change (very common) which means that's cells which will eventually become cancerous. And that's what a smear is for to catch this sooooo early that it cant become a serious problem in years to come. I got treated at the hospital, my appointment was only about 15mins long and didn't feel any more uncomfortable. Its really important to do this as that's 3 out of my 5 friends that's had the abnormal cell change and if they weren't going for their smears they wouldn't know.Don't let one bad experience put you off something. Every woman in Britain gets it done, NOT JUST YOU!!! Remember that, Go for it X
You have a right not to be mocked like that by the doctor or nurse. I would ask your GP if it would be okay to meet the nurse who will do your smear in advance (you could make an appointment) to discuss your fears. All the nurses I've had doing my smears have gone to great lengths to put me at my ease and been lovely to me - that is what you have a right to expect.
I know it is a little scary to contemplate, but if you did get cervical cancer it would be a lot more invasive, and of course, you could die. So these checks are important - and only happen every 3-5 years, so it is not so bad. I'm not sure where about you are - in my part of the country they are only given after the age of 25, so you probably do have a few years to get used to the idea before it really becomes urgent.
I find them very easy - because I'm used to needing to relax, because they are gentle with me and don't mock me, instead they talk to me to keep me calm and it's over very quickly with no pain. So it can be done! You might even feel better for having conquered your fear, which is understandable after such a nasty experience previously - it shouldn't be like that and you have a right to complain if you are treated in that way.
Good luck and I hope you feel ready to take the test at some stage. It's an automated system - so you will probably still get letters, but you could ask your GP about it and they might know what to do.
it doesnt hurt.. just feels very uncomfortable!
It is a painless routine procedure. There is nothing 2 b afraid of. It is 4 ur good 2 rule out anything serious like cervical cancer.
It was a nasty thing 2 say by the doc but don't let it risk ur health.
Usually doctors recommend having a PAP smear yearly starting at age 18 or whenever the woman becomes sexually active. Cervical cancer is caused by the HPV (human papilloma virus) which is sexually transmitted.
The test itself is very quick. The doctor inserts a speculum into the vagina; this holds the vagina open so that the doctor can see the cervix. He or she collects cells from the outside of the cervix with a tiny plastic spatula, and from the cervical canal with what is basically a tiny wire brush. You may have some light spotting later in the day, but that is it.
I would recommend asking your girlfriends if they like their Ob-Gyn doctor. It is important to find someone you are comfortable and your experience in the hospital sounds like it was awful.
There are nurse practitioners who perform PAP smears as well.
Ade C: I'm so sorry that you had that experience. Some people are so stupid and insensitive - it doesn't matter that they are professionals who should know better than to laugh and make fun of a patient who is scared. And you are so young too. It makes me mad.
Anyway, you have some good answers already so I won't repeat them.
The cervical screening test is for your own good and although they are not the most pleasant of things they are there to make sure you do not have cancer.
They really are not as bad as all that, you really need to relax and you generally end up hardly feeling a thing and it is all over in around 2 mins. If it really hurts you can ask for someone to be with you to hold your hand but they really are not that bad.
Remember they are for your own good and you should just go and get it over with, it is better than the alternative.
I had to have one a week ago because I had been leaking (my waters breaking) but as long as you relax it will be okay.