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Do you need a cervix smear test?
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Cervical screening, which used to be called smear test, is a test to check the health of the cervix and help prevent cervical cancer. It's offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64.
- When You'll Be Invited
Who should have cervical screening. All women and people...
- Results
You might have HPV even if you have not been sexually active...
- What Happens at Your Appointment
The whole appointment should take about 10 minutes. Video:...
- Why It's Important
Cervical screening is one of the best ways to protect...
- How to Book
Try to book your appointment as soon as you get invited. If...
- What is Cervical Screening
All women aged 25 to 64 are invited by letter to cervical...
- When You'll Be Invited
Cervical screening is one of the best ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer. How cervical screening helps prevent cancer. Cervical screening checks the health of your cervix and helps find any abnormal changes before they can turn into cancer. It's not a test for cancer, it's a test to help prevent cancer.
Jan 22, 2024 · Women and people with a cervix start getting smear tests at the age of 25. You might get a letter inviting you for a screening up to 6 months before you turn 25. Below 25, cervical cancer is very rare so you do not need to be tested.
- Josephine Franks
- 1 min
All women aged 25 to 64 are invited by letter to cervical screening to check the health of their cervix. Cervical screening used to be called a smear test. Everyone with a cervix should go for cervical screening. The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina.
- Who’s It for?
- What happens?
- What If I’m Embarrassed?
- Does It hurt?
- Does It Take Long?
- What Happens If I Get An Abnormal Result?
Cervical screening is for everyone with a cervix, regardless of sexual or gender identity. This includes women, some transgender men and some non-binary people. In the UK it’s offered to those aged 25 to 64. And you’ll need to be registered as female with a doctor to be invited. If you’re not registered as female and have a cervix, you can ask your...
It’s usually done by a practice nurse at a doctor’s surgery. After a chat to talk through the test and answer any questions, the nurse will ask the patient to lie on their back with their knees raised and parted. They then use a speculum, which opens the vagina, to be able to see the cervix. A small, soft brush is used to collect some cells from th...
It’s normal to feel self-conscious, especially on the first visit. “When women are invited for routine cervical screening, they may feel a little anxious about exposing an intimate part of their bodies,” says Mary Hoey, one of our senior cancer information nurses. “It can be reassuring for women to know that most of these tests are done by practice...
Most people won’t experience pain from cervical screening, but sometimes the speculum can be uncomfortable. In some cases, the muscles around the vagina can tighten, which can make it difficult to insert the speculum, and sometimes this is painful. This is known as vaginismus– people with this condition often find it painful to have penetrative sex...
Most cervical screening appointments are quicker than a normal doctor’s appointment, and you’ll be able to carry on with your day afterwards. Some practices offer cervical screening at weekends or outside normal working hours too. After the test, the nurse will let you know when to expect your results, which will be posted to your home address.
The vast majority of cervical screening results are normal. If the test finds high-risk HPV but no abnormal cells, you will be invited back early for screening in a year’s time. If the test finds high-risk HPV and abnormal changes in the cells, you will be invited to go for a different type of test called a colposcopy. A colposcopy helps to show ho...
Covers information on how a cervical sample should be taken and how to manage cervical screening results. It also covers cervical screening during pregnancy, post cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) treatment, post-hysterectomy, and in immunosuppressed people.
Jun 18, 2024 · Also known as a smear test, cervical screening checks the health of your cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the womb that connects to your vagina. It checks for high-risk HPV and if positive, the cells are looked at to see if they are pre-cancerous.
