This month is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and although this is one of the most treatable cancers in the UK, there are still over 800 women a year die from it.

We talked about ways of protecting yourself on Monday, but it would be very remiss of us not to talk about one of the most important ways of catching this cancer early.

The dreaded smear test.

Being a woman is a lot of fun most of the time, but in amongst the girly shopping days and prosecco, it can also be an extremely undignified and uncomfortable thing.

From periods to giving birth, our bodies are not always our mate, and the smear sits right at the top of the list for things nobody wants to do.

For those of you who have been there, you know its utterly pants, but for those of you who haven’t, we wanted to demystify and hopefully prevent the anxiety that comes with this process because regular testing can save your life.

So, the Cervix…..

Cervical cancer is something that can affect anybody with a cervix, and although most common in women between the ages of 30 and 35, it can hit at any age.

The cervix, also known as the neck of the womb is a vital part of the reproductive system. For those of you who have popped a couple of sprogs out, you will be very familiar with this as during the birth process, it has to dilate to 10cm before the baby can descend into the birth canal and be born.

Check out Mondays health hub article for ways of protecting yourself – link below – but we cannot stress enough that even with protection in place, the smear is a vital part of monitoring changes within the cervix.

Its not about catching cancer once its already in place, but preventing it by catching changes as they begin.

Her Fight Is Ours Too – Normedica

So, what is the smear all about then?

We spent a little bit of time trying to find a video that explains the process without it looking too horrendous, but the reality is, nothing makes it look okay and if its your first time, don’t watch a video!

Whilst we would love to tell you that its a breeze, the first few times are undignified and uncomfortable. Our recommendation for after – cake, and lots of it!

What we can confirm though, in our experience, the nurses who do it are usually very good and will do everything they can to make it as comfortable as possible for you.

It begins with you undressing behind a screen from the waist down and lying on a bed with a sheet over the top of you.

The nurse then asks you to lie with your knees bent, feet together and let your legs flop to either side. (Honestly, that really is the worst bit.)

Using a small amount of lubricant, and giving you the “it may be cold” warning, they will then insert a speculum into your vagina. Once in place, it is opened up to allow them access to the cervix. We currently supply both of these items to surgeries so if you are in need, let us know.

A small soft brush is inserted into the speculum and used to take a sample of cells which are sent off to the lab for testing. (Shameless plug… we also sell these).

And honestly, that is pretty much it. The speculum is removed and you are left to get dressed.

The result can take a few weeks but providing there are no concerns, you have three years smear free before having to go back again.

If there is something that they have a concern about, dependant on the result, they will generally invite you back in 12 months for another smear. A lot of the time, this will right itself all on its own, but a second test is usually done 12 months after that to be sure. If the results still come back as HPV positive or abnormal cell changes, the next step is a colposcopy.

As mentioned previously, smear tests are about prevention, not diagnosis, and when done regularly, they should help to prevent anything abnormal getting to a point where it could cause you a problem.

We will go into what purpose a colposcopy plays in the next article, but for now, from a group of middle aged ladies who have all been doing this for a long time, please don’t put it off.

Yes, its not the most fun you will ever have, but it absolutely can save your life.