‘My first cervical screening was over before I knew it’

People do not know about options to make their cervical screening easier and more comfortable “Cost of life”A cancer charity warned last month.

To find out what the test is actually for the first timer, the BBC spoke to six people, whose first cervical screening was known as a smear test in the first six months.

Cervical screening, NHS is introduced by NHS to all women and people with cervix between 25-64 years of age, testing for the presence of some types of human papillomavirus (HPV), virus that causes 99% cervical cancer .

During testing, a nurse uses a spaculum – a tool for opening the vagina – and a brush to take a sample of cells from the cervix.

This is what was the first test for six people, and they wanted them to know in advance.

26 -year -old Erica Donley, who lives in Sunderland, waited for about a year to book her screening appointment after receiving an invitation.

“I was in a massive nervousness about it because I have PTSD related to sexual trauma, so I really got extra nervous about it,” she says.

When she finally tested last month, she brought her partner with her to support and to help her if she was flashback or panic attack. She says that she had the experience more “comfortable and casual”.

27 -year -old Bianca IonC, who lives in London, says he shut down her cervical screening “for at least two years” due to concerns about the pain.

But after receiving another invitation which had a lot of information about the process, Bianka booked her screening in January.

Other people say that they booked their screening as soon as possible.

Ellenor Graton, who conducted his test at the end of the age of 25 last year, says his friends were scared that the process would be “uncomfortable and painful”. But as more and more people of his group did their screening, she says that she did not find the matter.

Jessica Tse was “really worried” before her cervical screening in December.

“I didn’t know if it was going to hurt”, she says.

But the nurse “was talking to me, making me completely distracted” and the process “really clearly”, she says.

“Dard-wise, it was uncomfortable and it was something I had not felt before,” Bianka misses.

But “it was over before knowing this”, she says.

Others say that they do not experience any inconvenience – such as Megan Burns, a social media content manufacturer living in Brighton.

“It was nothing,” says Megan, who did his first screening at the age of 25 in September. “I couldn’t feel anything.” She says that she had already worried about two children less about the experience.

“These nurses have seen everything,” says Megan.

She says that some people feel under pressure to shave their pubic hair or wear their best underwear. But speaking as a former healthcare worker, Megan says, “You are there to do a job, you don’t care about these things”.

While most people feel mild pain only in their appointments, some people experience more discomfort in their appointments.

“Some people find cervical screening uncomfortable, but it should not be painful,” Eve appeal They sayIt notes that some conditions such as endometriosis, vaginalism and menopause may make screening painful.

NHS says that patients are under screening control and “can ask the nurse to stay at any time”.

People can ask for adjustment to make their screening easier or more comfortable. This includes:

• A small sphekulum (tube -shaped device to help the nurse to sample sampling)
• A long appointment you don’t hurry
• More lubrication
• Go to a different position
• Scrutinize
• Bring a friend for support

According to the recent research of Eve appeal, very few people know that they can request these houses. Less than a quarter of the survey said that they knew that they could request a small speech and only 12% said they knew that they could ask for a dual appointment.

Some BBC people said that they did not know that they could ask for accommodation.

Beyonka says that she asked the nurse to use a small spaculum after reading online.

But she thinks that when you book the appointment, the information about the adjustment should be more clearly marked, as some need to think in advance – such as bringing a friend or booking a double slot.

Jack Latham, a 28 -year -old private trainer living in Kent, says he received his first screening invitation at the age of 25, just after coming out as Trans. He says that his GP was “incredibly assistant” and one was also Poster In his surgery waiting room, Trans men were encouraged for a cervical screening.

Trans and non-binary people who have cervix must still be Regular cervical screening,

Jack states that he would make the appointment out of fear, until he went to a blood test in 2024 in summer and the nurse offered him a cervical screening on the spot.

“It was very fast and a big deal was very rare,” Jack says. “It is not as bad anywhere as you think it will happen.”

Some trans male First told BBC He was not invited to get a cervical screening as he was listed as a male on medical records, although he still had an cervix.

NHS wants to encourage more people to go for their cervical screening. NHS England has promised Elimination of cervical cancer By 2040.

Women in the age group of 25-49 are encouraged to screen every three years, while women aged 50-64 should be one every five years.

From March 2024, NHS England data showed that 44.5% of women in the age group of 25–29 were not examined in the last 3.5 years. For people aged 30–34, this figure was 35.3%.

The ratio of young women that have been adequately screening have been slightly falling in recent years.

NHS National Clinical Director Dr. for women’s health. Suu Mann told the BBC in a statement that Medix knows that some women find the screening “very worrying and uncomfortable”.

He emphasized that adjustments are always available and women should book their screening, even if they were invited months or years ago.

Last year, a demonstration at the Vaginal Museum in East London encouraged visitors to write reforms, which they want to see NHS’s cervical screening service on paper slip.

Artist Ella Clansy, who produced the performance, says more information about the adjustment available in general requests included – especially asking for small speculative – nurses were talking to what they were really doing what they were doing really Because they had scrutinized the screening and the employees.

Ellenor says what HPV is, there should be more education about it. School students are usually vaccinated against HPV between eight and the year 10, but Ellenor says it was not clear what was for Jab.

Jessica feels that doctors should explain the results using plain language, and say that she had to call her GP for further clarification after receiving her result letter.

Some people like to do medical examinations in the comfort of their homes, where possible. The Do-It-Yorcef Cervical Tests are available in some countries, and Researchers at King’s College London tested him With “spectacular” results in London in 2021. They include a vaginal swab that is then sent to a laboratory.

The NHS said last year was assessing whether the plan was to roll more widely.

Ellenor says that she felt “confident” to know that a healthcare professional did her first screening, but if the option was available, it would then try to do a home version of the test.

On the other hand, Jack has his doubts. He says that he would like a kit at a home for “convenience and flexibility”, but that he “hesitates something about if I have done it correctly”.

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