Cervical Screening
What is cervical screening?
Cervical screening looks for abnormal cells in the cervix, which might become cancer if they aren’t treated. In England, cervical screening currently prevents 70% of cervical cancer deaths.
Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV).
HPV is very common, and most people will get the virus at some point in their life. You can get it through any kind of sexual contact (with either a man or a woman). Only some types of HPV can lead to cancer. These do not cause any symptoms.
HPV can cause cells in your cervix to become abnormal. These abnormal cells are then at risk of becoming cancer. Screening can identify these cells early, so you can have more tests or treatment to get rid of them.
The HPV vaccine doesn’t prevent all types of cervical cancer. So even if you have had the vaccine, regular screening is still important to make sure everything is okay.
If you have more questions about cervical screening, you can find out more on GOV.UK.
Who can get screened?
Cervical screening is offered to women every 3 years from age 25 to 49. Then every 5 years from age 50 to 64.
Having cervical screening lowers your chances of getting cervical cancer. Screening finds abnormal cells so they can be removed before they become cancer.
You should consider having screening regardless of your sexual orientation, sexual history, or whether you’ve had the HPV vaccination.
If you missed your last cervical screening, you do not need to wait for a letter to book an appointment. Contact your GP practice or sexual health and contraception service as soon as possible to ask for an appointment.
If you’re a transgender (trans) man registered with your GP as female, you’ll get offered cervical screening. If you’re registered as male you won’t be offered screening. But your GP can arrange an appointment for you if you have a cervix. If you’re a trans woman you don’t need screening. If you’re transgender, non-binary, or intersex, thinking about cervical screening might be difficult. The Eve Appeal has resources for transgender, non-binary, and intersex people which might help you.
Why is screening important?
Cervical screening helps prevent cervical cancer. Cervical screening in the UK saves thousands of lives from cervical cancer every year.
There are many different types of HPV, but only some high-risk types can lead to cancer. The types of HPV that cause cervical cancer do not cause any symptoms. This means you might not know anything is wrong for a long time.
As with all procedures, there is an element of risk involved. You can find more detailed information about the screening programme on GOV.UK.
Don’t Fear the Smear
The smear test, now known as Cervical Screening, is a test to check the health of the cervix and help prevent cervical cancer.
It is offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64.
Cervical screening is one of the best ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer as the test helps to find any abnormal changes before they can turn into cancer.
When you receive an invitation to book in for a smear for the very first time, it can be daunting and perhaps scary as well for many different reasons for each individual. At Prima Care Surgeries We have staff who are fully trained to perform cervical screenings, and they do them nearly everyday!
We aim to ensure you are fully informed of what the screening entails and how the procedure is carried out to make sure you are as comfortable as you can be beforehand.
