Smear tests

Former Member

We were having a talk about them at work and this woman told me that I should really get one. I am 19 and have been sexually active for 3 years and don't really know what happens when you get one? Can you also just phone up your doctors and book one?

Former Member

~kaz~ wrote:

We were having a talk about them at work and this woman told me that I should really get one. I am 19 and have been sexually active for 3 years and don't really know what happens when you get one? Can you also just phone up your doctors and book one?

Since you've been sexually active for 3 years then I'd say it'd be a good idea to get one done, it's about 5 minutes of embarassament and a little discomfort but it's worth it.

You lie up on the doctors table thing, ankles together and let your knees flop to the side, then the doctor or nurse will insert a speculum inside you and take a scraping of your cells using a little brush or spatula and then that gets wiped onto a slide and sent away to be analysed. That's it, at my surgery you can either have it done by your doctor or in an appointment with the practice nurse, give your Doctors a phone and ask who you should see

Former Member

Ok will do thanks.

**helen**

Glittery Vodka wrote:

Since you've been sexually active for 3 years then I'd say it'd be a good idea to get one done, it's about 5 minutes of embarassament and a little discomfort but it's worth it.

You lie up on the doctors table thing, ankles together and let your knees flop to the side, then the doctor or nurse will insert a speculum inside you and take a scraping of your cells using a little brush or spatula and then that gets wiped onto a slide and sent away to be analysed. That's it, at my surgery you can either have it done by your doctor or in an appointment with the practice nurse, give your Doctors a phone and ask who you should see

:yes: Couldn't have put it better myself. You may also like to take a peek at TheSite's article on smear tests

Former Member

its worth it for peace of mind

Former Member

yeah get it done. Theyre not that bad - well, theyre not my favourite way to spend an afternoon or anything, but its better to get it over and done with and then thats it for 3 years

Former Member

Actually I'm pretty sure the recommended age for a smear test is 25, correct me if I'm wrong.

Also I didn't think a smear test was anything to do with STI's and only screened for cervical cancer. I might be wrong but I'm sure I read that the results in women younger than 25 can be questionable due to the changing of the cervix.

Either way tho, the test isnt that bad at all and in my case the worry was much worse than the test itself.

x

Edit: Just found this, might be of some use
http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/

Former Member

dunno, i was called for my first one aged 16 or 17, but the rules may have changed since then

Former Member

hmmm i thought the age was 20. i was having an examination done anyway when i was 1 month from my 20th birthday and i asked if i could get my smear done while i was there and she said normally she would but i wasn't 20 yet and they have strict rules that you wait until you're 20 cos there are changes going on before then that might be picked up as something else. still i don't think a month would have made alot of difference!

Former Member

A locum doctor said I should be booking mine... I'm only 19 and sexually innactive :rolleyes:

According to the NHS direct site, the age is 25 for your first smear...

Ilora x

Former Member

my friend who is 23 tried to book opne the other day and the doctors said that she couldnt have one untill she was 25 unless she was experiencing problems.

i went for my first one about a year and a half ago and have been about 5 times since due to the results of the 1st one and there not that bad.

Former Member

Thats odd seeming. Here it is 18 or when you start being sexually active.

Its hardly a bad trip. 5 minutes wasn't hell at all. Plus its best being safe.

Former Member

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Former Member

my _name, thats my thorts exactly, the first time that i went they found that i had changes that could become cancerous so i have to go back every 3 months (i think after this time it goes down to six). if things hadnt sorted themselves out i would have been able to have treatment and it would have been early on.

imagine finding out that you have cancer or something like that and it could have been treated so easily if found during a routine smear but you didnt go....

its really worth it. im sure 5 min of your time and being a bit uncomfortable whilst it happens is worth it, it could save your life

Former Member

As GWST said they recently changed it. I had my first at 20 but people won't now.

Former Member

Mel-H wrote:

its really worth it. im sure 5 min of your time and being a bit uncomfortable whilst it happens is worth it, it could save your life

i agree.

i got my 'happy 20th birthday! now come for a smear test!' letter and ignored it for 2 years cause i was so worried about what they would do to me.

eventually my doctor bullied me into having one, and afterwards i was just all 'is that it??'

no, it's not the most comfortable or dignified 5 minutes of your life, as everyone's said. but if you close your eyes and think about something else, it's soon over, and then you've got peace of mind for another 3 years.

apart from one of my friends had a nurse who said 'try to relax and just imagine it's a penis' which she was mortified by, but i thought was hilarious.

Former Member

kaffrin wrote:

try to relax and just imagine it's a penis' which she was mortified by, but i thought was hilarious.

LOL thats so funny.

Former Member

girl with sharp teeth wrote:

Ilora, virgins get cervical cancer too.

:yeees: I know that, I'm not stupid.

BUT there is a correlation between numbers of women with cervical cancer and the age at which they started being sexually active. That is all I was referring to.

Ilora x

Former Member

Ilora-Danon wrote:

:yeees: I know that, I'm not stupid.

BUT there is a correlation between numbers of women with cervical cancer and the age at which they started being sexually active. That is all I was referring to.

Ilora x

I'd like to see that study. So is it the younger you fuck the more or less likely you are to get it :yeees:

Former Member

my_name wrote:

I'd like to see that study. So is it the younger you fuck the more or less likely you are to get it :yeees:

more.

linky

most cervical cancers are caused by the HPV virus, which is sexually transmitted. the more you've had sex, the more likely you are to have it.

Former Member

my_name wrote:

I'd like to see that study. So is it the younger you fuck the more or less likely you are to get it :yeees:

Erm, well... yes. Studies have found that virgins are at less of a risk of getting cervical cancer. Although it's not impossible, people who have been sexually active younger, are at more of a risk than virgins.

Ilora x

Former Member

i was under the impression that they put a clamp thing inside you to open you up aswell?
i remember reading that you should have them reguarly after youve become sexually active but it looks like its changed. I don't have to worry for another 9 years hopefully *phew*

Former Member

my step dad is my doctor :rolleyes: its gonna be so awkward when i approach him on this subject lol. not something im looking forward to!! not actually sexually active as yet though so will be a while!

Former Member

Ballerina wrote:

i was under the impression that they put a clamp thing inside you to open you up aswell?

thats called a speculum and is nothing to worry about.

i'm a bit concerned now. i want a smear done but apparently you really cant have them unless you are 25+ (unless you have symptoms). my friend asked for one and she was refused. i might try with my doctor at home (different councils etc).

Former Member

soraliah wrote:

my step dad is my doctor :rolleyes: its gonna be so awkward when i approach him on this subject lol. not something im looking forward to!! not actually sexually active as yet though so will be a while!

You can always have it done by a nurse... it doesn't have to be your GP...

Ilora x

Former Member

Ballerina wrote:

i was under the impression that they put a clamp thing inside you to open you up aswell?

The "clamp" is a speculum , it only opens you up enough for them to be able to get a sample. That photo looks like a cross between a gun and a duck right enough

They used to be horrible cold metal things but they're made of plastic now (well at least in my nhs area) and that makes a difference, believe me, I had enough of them shoved up my hoochie coochie when I was pregnant :yeees:

Former Member

Glittery Vodka wrote:

The "clamp" is a speculum , it only opens you up enough for them to be able to get a sample. That photo looks like a cross between a gun and a duck right enough

They used to be horrible cold metal things but they're made of plastic now (well at least in my nhs area) and that makes a difference, believe me, I had enough of them shoved up my hoochie coochie when I was pregnant :yeees:

i think they have different sizes too because a nurse was looking at me down there and decided she needed a smaller one lol.

Former Member

soraliah wrote:

my step dad is my doctor :rolleyes: its gonna be so awkward when i approach him on this subject lol. not something im looking forward to!! not actually sexually active as yet though so will be a while!

Your normal doctor does the tests? A GP or whichever?

Former Member

Glittery Vodka wrote:

The "clamp" is a They used to be horrible cold metal things but they're made of plastic now

When I had it done in 2004 it was metal but the nurse ran it under warm water before she used it on me so it wasn't all horrid and cold.

Former Member

my_name wrote:

Your normal doctor does the tests? A GP or whichever?

You generally have it done by your GP or by the nurse at your local GPs surgery. At my local doctors it is done by the nurses and you don't need an appointment.

Former Member

Is that just the option most people take, or is it the only option (like no gynos) I dont think GP's do that here... I"ll have to ask my mother
I think it would be ackward to have the same person testing me for strep thats looking into my vagina