View Full Version : Preventing Cervical Cancer & What you should know
nomorepanic
10-03-09, 12:41
We have loads of threads about Cervical Cancer since Jade Goody was diagnosed and subsequently died of it.
I picked up 2 leaflets at the doctor's and found the online versions so you can all have a read of them.
They are in PDF format and you can download a PDF reader here...
http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
The documents are attached.
tracy.splosh
10-03-09, 13:51
Thanks Nic
A really useful leaflet.
Tracy x
Oh no I cant open pdf's!! Anyone willing to post the main ways of prevention on here?
I am still waiting for my results from the end of January!!
x
nomorepanic
13-03-09, 18:58
Snowdrop - download the free reader then you can open it
anxious_88
23-03-09, 10:23
There's been a lot of controversy about who should get a smear, and whether you should book one at 20 or wait until 25.
I'm 20 and have been sexually active for about a year and a half. I've had two sexual partners in that time: should I book a smear?
Fantastic idea. Well done Jade for highlighting awareness xx
Anxious,
I reckon its a good idea hun, doesnt hurt and will put your mind at rest.
Can anyone post the general prevention tips in a reply as I cant read anything in pdf on this laptop...it always causes my comp to crash even after trying to reinstall, would really appreciate it.
xx
Im 23 be 24 in July I tried to book a smear after I had my daughter was (21 then) they said i wasn't allowed. I have recently tried and they said im not allowed till im 25 :mad: Its so annoying I just want to check if every thing is ok xx
tashbarnes87
09-04-09, 17:48
hi leeann, im 21 and just has my first baby and they have refused point blank to give me one its disgusting really.
Hello everyone , I think the age for a cervical smear should be lowered and to get this done , women who feel strongly about it should write to the
Prime Minister, we have to make the change, i for one will definately voice my opinion to the Prime Minister , i agree its absoulutely disgusting refusing any young woman who would like one, best wishes, love dusky x
Wow, that's pretty intense that they make you wait until you're 25. Here in the States its recommended that women start getting pap smears at 16 or after their first sexual encounter, whichever comes first. In fact, I have to have one done every single year as part of my gyno exam in order to continue receiving my birth control.
I just posted about this under "Another Smear Test Question!" Read my response, I feel very strongly about this! I am from the US also. I agree that you girls should rally and try to get this age lowered.
thinker_bell
27-05-09, 15:00
its a disgrace that this country screens only over 25s! im 22 and have a 6yr old n had to book my own smear and argued my case through the door as they didnt want me to have one yet, im now waitin for treatment to get rid of my pre-cancerous cells! if i waited 3 years like they wanted me to i would also have been a cancer victim like jade goody and probably not here to see my child grow up! the nhs need to lower this and soon, i only booked one because of jade as i wasnt aware of all the risks. shes definitley been an inspiration and in my case, a life saver!
Southern_Belle
23-06-09, 17:41
Honest to God my jaw has dropped open. I had no idea you all had to wait until the age of 25. You women need to unite and fight this for your lives. I do know that in this country the latest they want you to start is 18 and then get one every single year thereafter. My mom is still getting them and she is in her 70's. I'm aghast that the healthcare system doesn't realize that in the longrun they would be saving money.
Laura xxx
eleanor_rigby
24-06-09, 10:57
This frightens me too. I am from England and I am 20 and have asked for smears and been point-blank refused. Their idea is that people under 25 often get abnormal smear tests because their bodies are changing when there isn't actually anything wrong. However giving them invasive treatment anyway because they get an abnormal result, when it would have resolved itself in a few years anyway, they think does more damage than good. I can understand where they are coming from, i'd just like the option of having it if I want to. They think that cervical cancer is extremely rare in people under 25. What I also think would solve this problem is if they offered a HPV test. If 90% of cervical cancer is attributed to strains of HPV 16 and 18 or whatever they are, then why can't they provide a test for these strains. I know full well such a test exists. If that comes back negative then they can just leave an abnormal smear to resolve itself. But if that comes back positive then something obviously needs to be done. I am also refused a HPV test apparenly they are only done in research labs or something. I don't understand why they are available in private expensive clinics then?? Are doctors just idiots? I just simply do not understand.
You can get that Hpv test done at baker street lomdom for £60 ish, I might have that x
tashbarnes87
20-07-09, 19:45
There are lots of places that do private smears for £50-£100 I have just had one as i am 21 and i waited a few days instead of weeks and it was fine.xx
[quote=anxious_88;474308]There's been a lot of controversy about who should get a smear, and whether you should book one at 20 or wait until 25.
I'm 20 and have been sexually active for about a year and a half. I've had two sexual partners in that time: should I book a smear?[/qu
ANXIOUS,
HERE WE R TOLD ANYONE WHO IS SEXUALLY ACTIVE SHOULD ALWAYS GET A PAP SMEAR. THEY R VERY IMPORTANT. THEY GIVE THEM EVERY YEAR. SO YA I HIGHLY SUGGEST U GET ONE :yesyes:
Hi
I am 49 so starting my menoparse so bleeding can happen after 8 months then stop again etc. Also if you dont have sex very oftern can this not hurt you when you do get to do it, These are my happening? i go for smeers but my next one is not for another year.
Chel xxx
martinpaul12
29-09-09, 13:36
HI nomorepanic,
Well,Thanks for posting such a nice article related to cancer.I like article and find link very useful.You are genius as you have create a good awareness among others.I want to add something beneficial to these article.zSB(3,3)Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer. Because of the Pap smear test, the number of cervical cancer cases has dropped over the past twenty years. However, many women still develop cervical cancer. In fact, over 9,000 women in the U.S. develop cervical cancer every year.
Thanks
nevinrowan
03-10-09, 12:58
Hello,
That is really a very nice comment.I really like your thought for sharing those attechments.We all should aware of cancer and related information.Please be in touch for future sharing.Thank you for sharing the comment...
Wow that sux, I live in NZ and women here are encouraged to get one from the age of 20, however I had my first at 18. I think it sux that you ladies have to wait until 25. MAybe move to NZ hehehe.
Can anybody reassure me about smear tests? I'm due to have my first one (offered to me, I didn't have to beg for it at 22) and I'm pretty anxious about it. I'm worried it's going to hurt like hell. I've been googling the process (bad idea, I know) and those speculums they use look like instruments of torture. I know the magazines say "oh, it's only a little uncomfortable, it doesn't hurt". Is that true? I know I'm going to spend the next two weeks worrying about this.
SG Do Not Google!!! Google is full of horror stories. Which will be the case more than good stories as those that have had alright experiences dont shout about it like those who have been unfortunate enough to have a bad experisnce.
I had my first smear 6 months at...im 23!! I decided to go and have one even though i was totally scared. Talk to your nurse when you go in and explain your nervous i am lucky enough to have a LOVELY understanding nurse. I was so scared i had read stories about women getting hurt, or the clamp catching them.
Mine did not hurt, it was enough to make me gasp slightly as it is a little strange feeling but it is nowhere near as scary as you might think after googleing!! I have to go back for my 2nd next week as i have "abnormal cells" but i have also been told this is common in women under 25 as our cervix is still changing!
I hope all goes well for you but really dont worry. I know exactly how you feel i was the same and even with people reassuring me i didnt believe them!! Plus its over and done within 15 seconds :shades:
Starscream
15-02-10, 18:06
Hi, this thread is pretty good for info on this.
My girlfriend is 20 and got a "Abnormal Cells" letter in through the post a few weeks ago and she is not concerned at all but I am going haywire about it.
What causes abnormal cells ?
Stupidly Wiki'd "Cervical Cancer" and throws up all sorts of terrible illnesses related to this type of cancer.
Anyone able to help out on this one ?
Just want to say my friend is 24, she almost died of full-blown cervical cancer 2 years ago. She only got tested because she was going to Australia for a year and her mum wanted her to have a full health check on everything. She went private to ensure she could get the smear test at 22. If she hadn't, she would be dead by now, no doubt about it. They only just saved her in time. She hadn't even had many partners!
If you are worried go and ask your NHS doctor. They might say yes (mine was fine about it and did it there and then). If they refuse either say you have been having pain during sex or something, or go private. It will give you peace of mind.
I'm not going to lie and say a smear test is fun stuff but it really isn't a big deal. It wasn't painful, just a bit... awkward. I wouldn't bat an eyelid about going again.
tranqbeauty
18-02-10, 17:42
Hi everyone i'm just letting you know i have just been diagnosed with cervical cancer and its wthe worst think in the world when the doctor tells you, but i am letting you know that i didn't have any of the bleeding between periods or any of the symptons they say so please go for a smear that was the only way i found out now i have to go for a radical hysterectomy. All this has happened within 6 weeks so they are acting fast, i just want everyong to know how important it is to have smear tests. Love to you all xxxx
Hi everyone.
The nurse in the gp surgery may want to let you have a smear before you are 25 and may agree to do it, but just to let you know that if it is done and sent to the lab then the lab won't test it.
There are so many of us that wish to lower the age, like other countries, but will this ever happen????
Well thats wierd. Ive been having a smear test every 3 years since I hit 21. I didnt have to ask for it either.
Maybe it depends where in the country you are?
I just wanted to say please if you are able to get a smear test go for it. My good friend had worrying signs and was declined a smear test as under 25. Had one done last april aged 25 and found out 2 days after her wedding she had cervical cancer. She went through chemo and radiotherapy and in Jan this year began getting numbness and pain in her face and head and was sadly told she had a brain tumour.
She had a follow up in March this year and was told it was terminal and given 12 months to live. She sadly passsed away 2 weeks later aged just 26. She leaves behind a 4 yr old boy and didnt live to see her first wedding anniversary. :weep:
ellie_C_mason1990
27-06-10, 22:06
i think it is disgusting, i was offered a smear with my STI test and they found pre cancerous cells at CIN1 (I am 19.) This may be as they claim, just normal changing cells but what if it wasn't? By the time I would get a smear at 25 I could be dead.
I don't understand why they won't lower it.. one nurse said to me because it is such a small percentage of woman who get cervical cancer under 25 it is not worth the financial strain?!? and that it would cause a lot of worry in under 25's if they got abnormal results and it was just cell changes. disgusting. of course it is worth it.
another nurse said to me that it takes about 6 years for cervical cancer to develop that is why the age is 25 because the mean age you first have sex is 18... some of my friends first became sexually active at 13!
this isn't very helpful at all.. i have apparently this HP virus, and have had abnormal cells twice and it has gone away again by itself, but i'm worried sick that one day they might not. I'm constantly worried about my health anyway, and reading how women just get cervical cancer jus tlike that in seemingly no time is really scary..i just about managed to forget about it for a bit but reading this has brought it all back.. :-(
nomorepanic
28-06-10, 22:15
Tiny - it is the official info on it.
Why did you read it if you knew it would trigger you off?
People need to know the facts so they can be aware of it and act early.
amandy1979
20-09-10, 19:26
hi, i had a constant worry about cervical cancer, was convinced i had it, it took me 8 years to pluck up the courage to have a smear test, i was convinced it would come back telling me bad news. After all the worry it came back with no abnormalities which was great. But i know all too well how hard it is to take the step to have the test done. Despite my relief that it came back ok i have just moved onto another health worry, it seems i cannot break the health worries cycle.
i just read a few posts about people who know/knew people who had cervical cancer and have died.... and am now, worrying... i had a smear test last year and im now tempted to have another smear test.... from reading this to have a nose at info etc... ive no worried myself silly :-(
I have never suffered from HA but recently a very good friend of mine passed away and now I am worried that I may have Cervical Ca.
The problem she had was a the top end of her body (trying to be subtle) and nothing to do with her nether regions but I am really anxious.
I am due to go for a smear this morning the first in many years (yes I know).
Because of the way I feel I have upped my Cipralex again (I had gone down to 5mg).
I think the stress of my friends illness and demise started me off again.:weep:
The age in the States for a pap is whenever you are sexually active. If you had a pap and it came back normal, then you don't need one for two years , this is a new standard. If you change sexual partners a lot, id get one done every year. Also if you ask can get the gardasil vaccine, which prevents the strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Both men and woman can now get the vaccine.
I've never been sexually active that I'm aware of but I have a lot of these symptoms, especially a very heavy discharge, quite worried now! Not sure if I should ask my doc for a smear, I have taken the pill before but only for 5 months when I was 15 and for 5 months when I was 18/19... worried!
IF IN DOUBT GET CHECKED OUT!!
I am 24 i have been for 3 smears and 2 biopsies..i have abnormal cells i am due to go back in for treatment to have them burnt or cut. I am a wimp seriously!! But this is serious and i think people should not put off being checked. There is no need to worry as much as you might, they are lovely and helpful and early detection of anything abnormal can be treated correctly!! I went for my first smear at 23..because i asked whilst having an STD test..i think the over 25 rule should be lowered and people should be allowed to get checked at any age.
Seriously though i cannot stres...if im able to go threw it anyone else can. Because i am not a very strong person and i hate pain etc. xxxxx
Hi everyone..just thought to share my story..I was diagnosed with CIN1 back in March of this year. The gyno was able to do a biopsy and removed the very small problem area on my cervix..I am to be seen for my 6 month check up on Friday..a little worried about it..but trying to keep a neutral stance on it. Send me good vibes! Thanks.
I decided to give an update. I went in for my 6 month check up and they found a tiny small area, again. The doctor did a biopsy & it turned out to still be CIN1. They want to see me again in a year..rather than 6 months. So, needless to say I was relieved.
You can get a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, it is very effective if a little expensive. All children between 13-18 are now getting this vaccine in school for free.
https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/womens-health/cervical-cancer-vaccinations/cervarix-and-gardasil
how come young women are getting cervical cancer when we are told its a slowly growing cancer... its that info that what keeps us going, cuz my doctor told me it take 10-15 years to turn into cervical cancer!! aand know that makes me feel loads better but young girls are just dying... how come? im scared that a smear every three years isnt enough!!! x
^I'm not sure what country you are in..but here in the U.S..women get their pap smears done once a year. As long as you get monitored the chances of it developing into cervical cancer are very very slim!
im in the uk and we have them ever 3 years, im goin private so i can have one every year... £100 tho x
Definitely go for a smear test every 1-2 years, not 3 years like the NHS suggests in UK. I had test come back normal 18 months ago and when I was back in Australia last month my gynaecologist said I should have another one then. Glad I did as it's come back CIN2&3 upon further investigation. Had to have Lletz treatment and now awaiting the results of that. Majority of people will of course be fine with the 3 year smear but the prevention rate is apparently 75% with that frequency and over 90% when you go every year or so. Worth paying for if they wont do it for free.
I'm terrified right now... I have just recieved a CIN 1 result after a borderline result 6 months previous to that! I have actually been in this situation before but this time I have been having very heavy periods and painful period pains during my periods so this time I am fearing the worst more than ever...
I keep thinking the cancer could grow so quick and take over lymph nodes.. I just cant stop thinking :wacko::weep:
It is so important to have regular smears and I would just book one with the nurse regardless of what they say. I started having smears at 17!
imissnotworrying
11-05-12, 13:52
I'm really scared of cervical cancer. I have to wait another 6 months for a smear as I'm not 25 yet, and I honestly want the last 6 months of the wait to hurry up. Just to note about abnormalities though
1) cells can return to normal on their own, but you should remain closely monitored of course
2) both my aunt and her friend had abnormal cells that didn't return to normal in their 30's. they had laser treatment and they're both in their 60's now having had no futher problems.
this is what i try to hold on to so i don't panic quite so much. my mind has a habit of thinking 'what if' all the time, and it's always negative and jumping to the worst case scenario. i guess that's just what you get when you have anxiety. stupid anxiety :mad:
how come young women are getting cervical cancer when we are told its a slowly growing cancer
A lot of girls I know start having sex at 14/15, i think it is slow growing but the younger they engage in sex the more at risk they are of not having it picked up on in time. I really think the age limit for a smear should be lowered.
I just plucked up the courage to book my first smear as I ignored the letters for a long time....was meant to be Thursday...I have mentally prepared myself,,,and guess What?
IVE JUST COME ON LOL.....
Cannot believe it....gonna have to cancel now and re-book....nightmare.....
I am all for lowering the age of smear tests.
Since my first smear at 25 in Feb 2011, I have had nothing but bad news and I feel had I been able to have a smear earlier, it may not have got to the stage it did where I needed treatment to remove some of my cervix.
The issues i have had regarding this has sparked my anxiety issues and will continue to do so with my fear of cervical cancer at the forefront of my mind constantly. I was given the all clear from my last examination just last week yet i know the all clear is only for 6 months until they have to look again. So although i feel reassured that I am being closely monitored, the point is...the age for smears should be lowered. There's no doubt about it.
xx
Confused&scared
23-02-13, 08:27
I am 25 and just had my second smear, I had my first at 22 as I told the doctor I was having pain during intercourse. If you are at all worried, go to the doctors and ask for one.
I am from Czech Republic where we get a smear every year - I started with them at about 16 (before I was actually sexually active! Some hard core prevention). I was raised by all these leaflets in doctor's office saying that if I miss one year, I am probably going to die and it's going to be my fault. Now I live in the UK and I actually had to lie about the date of my last one to get it ./ I am slightly worried that I will have to tell my GP I have some symptoms just to get another one in a year and not have to wait another three x)
Can I actually ask for a smear earlier? Or will they just ignore me?
hangingbasket
21-09-13, 22:09
I'm 29 and have had 5 smears and a colposcopy. I live in wales. strange how things vary from place to place
MilaHurricanes
27-09-13, 05:52
I have my first pap at 23 years old... I've always been afraid of them, but I needed a similar test done to check for another infection. I was always afraid of the outcome and if it would hurt, so I decided against it at 21. But now my worries of the pain are over... I just hope to not worry about the result. Though I've had the hpv vaccines. Guess there's a little less to worry about there!
Though when she checked my cervix it actually looked and seemed fine to her, didn't test it yet due to the bacteria. But now I'm sure I'll be quite okay.
In Italy we have free pap smears from age 25 to 64 as a part of a national screening. Of course, you can decide to have one on your own privately.
GlassPinata
16-02-14, 21:49
I had my first one at sixteen.
This is in the US, and it was back in the late 80s, before even doctors knew much about hpv and its relation to cervical cancer.
The one I had at sixteen came back abnormal. I had recently become sexually active.
The doctor treated this very aggressively, first colposcopy, then biopsy, then cryosurgery (where they freeze your cervix with liquid nitrogen so that the abnormal cells slough off).
He told me that I had contracted an incurable, cancer-causing sexually transmitted virus.
Well, now we know that 80% or more of Americans contract this virus, most within a year or two of beginning to have sex.
We also know that over 90% of the time, it clears up on its own without treatment, within a year to eighteen months.
We know that so many teenage girls have it and will show abnormal cells on a smear test, that it is not advisable to do smear tests on teen girls. The very vast majority will clear the virus by their 20s, and have normal smears by then.
The recommendation now is not to have smears before age 21, regardless of sexual activity.
We also know that a teenage girl with mild, hpv-related dysplasia should never, ever be subjected to the aggressive treatment I was subjected to. It will go away on its own. It is not significant. It does not require any treatment at all. It is so common among teenage girls that it is not necessary to even screen for it. It can simply be assumed that if they are sexually active, they have the virus. They will clear it on their own, within a year or so. Aggressive treatments like cryosurgery are not only unnecessary, but can damage the cervix and affect future fertility.
What was done to me was awful, but the doctor was old, and none of them knew much about hpv back then.
That was not the beginning of my health anxiety; I had already had it for years by then, but it sure didn't help.
The result was that I ended up with two children before age eighteen.
Why not? I apparently had an incurable, cancer causing disease and would be dead or at least infertile very soon. Why wait?
Of course, I had no such thing.
I never had another abnormal smear, and when the hpv-dna test was developed, I began to get those too, and they are always negative. I no longer have hpv. I probably no longer had it by the time I was seventeen. My body cleared the virus, and would have done so without any treatment at all, and if I'd waited until 21 to get my first smear, I never would've known that I'd ever had it.
It is very rare for hpv to persist in the body; most people with normal immune systems are able to clear it easily. It only causes cancer if it persists for many years. In the vast majority of cases, it goes away on its own. But in the rare cases that it does not, 21 is plenty early enough to catch it while still in its precancerous stages. 25 is probably early enough too, in the vast, vast majority of cases.
Here in the US, we used to do smears on any female who had been sexually active, no matter her age. That was wrong, and led to unnecessary and traumatic experiences such as mine.
Please do not even consider getting a smear before age 21.
---------- Post added at 21:49 ---------- Previous post was at 19:12 ----------
how come young women are getting cervical cancer when we are told its a slowly growing cancer... its that info that what keeps us going, cuz my doctor told me it take 10-15 years to turn into cervical cancer!! aand know that makes me feel loads better but young girls are just dying... how come? im scared that a smear every three years isnt enough!!! x
It generally does take that long, and goes through a number of precancerous stages (CIN 1, CIN2, CIN3) before it reaches the stage of invasive cervical cancer.
Most women get cervical cancer in their late 30s to 40s, and have had persistent hpv infections for decades before that.
There is a rare type of cervical cancer, I believe it is called adenocarcinoma, that just pops up out of nowhere, without a lot of initial warning. It is really quite rare, and is often undetectable by smear tests.
This is probably the type these "young girls" are suffering from.
There are also cases where young women are diagnosed with and treated for abnormal smears, and believe they have or had cancer. I've had friends tell me they had cervical cancer a few years ago, and then I later find out they never did, they merely had abnormal precancerous cells.
There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding around the issue, but it is actually very rare for women younger than 35 to have full blown invasive cervical cancer.
Dolphin8808
21-07-14, 19:12
Here in the US we start having smears when we go to see an OBGYN. I am 35 now but have had annual smears since I was 18
mark henri
06-10-14, 15:40
Cancer is always a dangerous term for human . And most of the people are suffering from cancers nowadays by this abnormalities. When I think about this disease, I get fear and I know that it is so harmful.
I am petrified of cervical cancer. Literally terrified. I have had some form of discharge for many years and I plucked up the courage to go to the doctors a few months ago. I was given an STI test (despite me explaining I have only had one sexual partner and been with them for over five years) and some swabs to do at home which came back normal. The doctor explained that generally discharge changes over time and with things like cervical cancer you also get pain during sex and bleeding which at the time calmed me down. She also gave me some antibiotics to take incase it was BV.
Last month they did a pelvic exam when I was having some problems with my pill (irregular bleeding) and she mentioned there was some blood there when she had a look at my cervix which worried me. The next day I started my period for the first time in months at the bleeding stopped after that.
Problem is now, through all of this I have still had the discharge. I know some discharge is normal but I can't shake the what if feeling. I am petrified that if I leave it till I'm 25, I'll go for my smear and they'll find something and it'll be too late. Am I within my rights to go back and get them to investigate this properly?! I'm losing sleep over this. Again.
I'm 32 and I've never had a smear test. I'm not sexually active so do I still need to have one?
Iblametheparents
26-10-15, 18:54
Not if you've never been sexually active, no.
Actually you don't *have* to have any tests. You can decline. I'm considering declining mammograms in a few years time. I'm not convinced by the evidence for them.
blackbroom
11-08-16, 13:35
I was due my 3-yearly smear last year, but didn't get round to it. This was partly because when the reminders arrived I was very busy and didn't want to take a half-day off work, partly because I'm perimenopausal, so it was hard to accurately predict in advance when I wouldn't be having a period, but mostly because I have vaginismus and the two previous smears I had were absolute agony.
I know I should go, that if I get cervical cancer it will be entirely my own fault, but I keep finding reasons to put it off, because I know that it's going to be painful and the staff at my surgery have not been at all patient or sympathetic in the past.
Just went for my pap dr said that if a women goes every three years she should be fine, meaning that they will find it early and treat it, it takes cervical changes ten years to become cancer.
AussieWorrier
17-06-18, 02:01
Neither myself nor my husband have had sexual relationships with anyone else ... I've had normal Pap smears in the past... is it worth continuing ??
Hi all,
I have a question concerning the pap smear. I'm 26 years old and still a virgin due to my vaginismus (my boyfriend and I are trying to have sex but fail every time because of how painful it gets). Anyway, my family doctor once suggested I should do the pap smear. I told her about my problem, and she said it should be possible to do the smear even on a virgin, but she wasn't completely sure about it.
Since then, I grew more and more anxious about cervical cancer. Even though I haven't had "real" sex, one year ago when I was on the pill my boyfriend and I were rubbing our genitals together when we were making out and now I'm afraid I might have caught the virus back then. I am anxious about going to the gynecologist, because all my past experiences with them were really bad.
I am constantly thinking about how I might be developing cervical cancer and I won't be able to diagnose it in time because I am unable to get the necessary test done. This makes me even more anxious and thus worsens my vaginismus even more. I get odd sensations in my vagina every now and then.
So, my question is, does anyone know if it is possible do the pap smear on a virgin? And if so, would it hurt a lot? Thank you!
nomorepanic
23-05-19, 17:24
Yes it is possible but yes it could hurt somewhat.
If you use tampons though that should help.
Hi, I jusf wanted to share my experience as I’ve recently been diagnosed with ‘high grade precancerous cells’ (CIN 3). This is one stage before cancer, it’s the worst and most serious stage of abnormalities to get.
As scary as it sounds, all of the health professionals I’ve spoken to have all said that if you go for regular smears when they’re due, they can nearly always pick up the early abnormalities before they progress into cancer.
I had the treatment (LLETZ) done a week ago, under local anaesthetic. They now test what they’ve removed to make sure it has ‘clear margins’, if it does it means the treatment has been successful! And I just have more regular smears for a few years, then my risk level goes back to normal. (Yay!)
Where I am, they don’t even treat CIN 1 (low grade) and don’t always treat CIN 2 (moderate grade) because there’s such a significant chance the cells will still go back to normal by themselves and get better. Even my CIN 3 can improve but they told me that at this stage, they judge the risk level high enough to warrant treatment and it isn’t worth waiting any longer. I had the treatment just two days after my results came back.
For what it’s worth - I have only had one partner I’ve had unprotected sex with, one partner I had protected sex with, yet I was still unlucky enough to pick up high risk HPV. You just don’t know til you test, there are no symptoms. It can be passed super easily, through any kind of sexual contact, so it’s really worth keeping up to date with smears for your own peace of mind.
Sienna 🌈
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