{"id":21397,"date":"2025-02-02T00:06:51","date_gmt":"2025-02-02T01:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=21397"},"modified":"2025-02-02T01:25:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-02T01:25:22","slug":"my-first-cervical-screening-was-over-before-i-knew-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=21397","title":{"rendered":"‘My first cervical screening was over before I knew it’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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18 minutes ago<\/div>\n
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Grace Dean<\/span><\/p>\n

BBC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"EricaErica Donnelly, Jessica Tse, Jack Latham<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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People not knowing about options to make their cervical screening easier and more comfortable is “costing lives”<\/a>, a cancer charity warned last month.<\/p>\n

To find out what having the test is really like for first timers, the BBC spoke to six people who have had their first cervical screening, formerly known as a smear test, in the last six months.<\/p>\n

Cervical screenings, offered by the NHS to all women and people with a cervix aged 25-64, test for the presence of certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes 99% of cervical cancers.<\/p>\n

During the test, a nurse uses a speculum – a tool to open the vagina – and a brush to take a sample of cells from the cervix.<\/p>\n

This is what having the test done for the first time was like for six people, and what they wish they’d known beforehand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

How did you feel beforehand?<\/h2>\n
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Erica Donnelly, 26, who lives in Sunderland, waited about a year to book her screening appointment after receiving an invite.<\/p>\n

“I was in a massive panic about it because I have PTSD relating to sexual trauma, so I was really extra nervous about that,” she says.<\/p>\n

When she finally had the test done last month, she brought her partner with her for support and to help her in case she had a flashback or a panic attack. Having them there also made the experience feel more “comfortable and casual”, she says.<\/p>\n

Bianca Ionici, 27, who lives in London, says she put off her cervical screening “for at least two years” because of concerns about pain.<\/p>\n

But after getting another invite which contained a lot of information about the process, Bianca booked her screening in January.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"BiancaBianca Ionici<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Other people say they booked their screenings as soon as they could.<\/p>\n

Eleanor Gratton, who had her test at the end of last year aged 25, says her friends were scared the process would be “uncomfortable and painful”. But as more and more people in her group had their screenings, she says they didn’t find this to be the case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What did the test feel like?<\/h2>\n
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Jessica Tse was “really anxious” before her cervical screening in December.<\/p>\n

“I didn’t know if it was going to hurt”, she says.<\/p>\n

But the nurse was “talking to me, distracting me throughout” and explained the procedure “really clearly”, she adds.<\/p>\n

“Pain-wise, it was uncomfortable and it was something I hadn’t felt before,” Bianca recalls.<\/p>\n

But “it was over before I knew”, she says.<\/p>\n

Others say they didn’t experience any discomfort – like Megan Burns, a social media content creator living in Brighton.<\/p>\n

“It was nothing,” says Megan, who had her first screening in September aged 25. “I couldn’t feel anything.” She says the fact she’d already had two children made her less anxious about the experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"MeganMegan Burns<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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“These nurses have seen everything,” Megan adds. <\/p>\n

Some people feel under pressure to shave their pubic hair or wear their best underwear, she says. But speaking as a former healthcare worker, Megan says “you’re there to do a job, you don’t care about these things”.<\/p>\n

While most people only feel light pain at their appointments, some people do experience more discomfort at their appointments.<\/p>\n

“Some people find cervical screening uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t be painful,” the Eve Appeal says<\/a>. It notes that some conditions like endometriosis, vaginismus and being menopausal can make the screening painful.<\/p>\n

The NHS says that patients are in control of screening and “can ask the nurse to stop at any time”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Did you know about the adjustments available?<\/h2>\n
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People can ask for adjustments to make their screening easier or more comfortable. These include: <\/p>\n