Its Cervical screening week from today until the 23rd June, and once us ladies hit a certain age, screening becomes an absolutely vital part of our personal care.

Although cervical cancer is one of the most treatable, the screening process (previously known as a smear) was put in place to help identify early changes in cells which could potentially indicate the possibility of cancer developing in the future, and give the Doctors a chance to hopefully stop it in its tracks.

Now, for those of you in the know, lets be honest – its not the most pleasant process.

There is most definitely a lack of dignity during it, and if you’re still waiting on the first one, I highly recommend a visit to the pub afterwards for a large glass of vino or a thick slice of chocolate fudge cake.

You will feel like you need some TLC, but its so important in not only keeping you safe, but also in helping to reduce cancer rates and bring down costs for the NHS.

As we all know, prevention is better than cure, and part of the fear of the smear lies in a lack of understanding of a very quick process that for most, will only happen once every three years.

The first call up from your surgery tends to happen around 6 months before your 25th birthday, and whilst it is voluntary, it is highly recommended that you book an appointment.
During the appointment, a speculum is inserted into the vagina and a small soft brush is used to take a sample of cells from the cervix. This is then bagged up and sent off to the labs for testing.
Every sample sent is tested for HPV – Human Papilloma Virus, and if its present, the cells will then be tested for any abnormal changes.

If you get the all clear, you are good to go for another 3 years. If there are minor concerns, its left for 12 months and then re-tested. If at that point, there are still signs of HPV and/or minor changes, then you get called in for a colposcopy which is essentially further investigation and any required treatment.

As someone who has had several colposcopy’s and subsequent biopsies, I would be lying if I told you its a fun day out, but what I do need to reiterate is just how essential it is.

None of us want to consider the possibility of cancer, and we certainly don’t want to sit in a chair with our legs in a stirrup while someone pokes about down below, but the reality is, this short test saves lives every single day.
The figures to prove this are staggering.
Thanks to screening, the drop in cervical cancer rates is a massive 67% and the record of fatality’s from it has dropped by 70%.

Those numbers speak volumes and prove that sometimes, just a little bit of discomfort can make an unbelievable difference.

So, to smear or not to smear?

I think we all know the answer to that one!