Before the appointment
In July 2022, five months before I turned 25, I received the dreaded letter inviting me to a cervical screening (aka a smear test). It came alongside a brochure stating what to expect from the screening, what they're looking for, and what the various results mean.
The letter explained that I had to call my GP in order to book an appointment, and thinking that the earliest availability would be in at least a month, I called the following day. Imagine my surprise when I was told that there was availability in a few days. The phone operator recommended that I attend 10 days after my period, which happened to be the following week. At this point it's possible to ask for a female nurse too if preferred.
Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous about my smear test at all as I am all for detection and prevention over treatment. That said, I did speak to a couple of friends about their experiences and listened to a recent podcast by 'Nobody Panic' titled 'How to Have a Smear Test', all of which offered some great advice, including to wear a flowy skirt or dress for ease of access and avoiding crop tops. If you are nervous leading up to your appointment, I'd recommend doing as much research as possible and talking to your friends about their experiences as knowing what to expect should help remove the fear of the unknown.
During the appointment
I turned up to my GP practice 10 minutes before the scheduled appointment, checked in, and was called over exactly on time. The room was split down the middle by a thin curtain, on one side of which was the bed and on the other side were chairs, tables, and the computer.
The nurse sat me down and went through the admin side first, confirming my address and date of birth before getting started. She realised it was my first smear test and explained how it would work, including that she'd lock the door for privacy and that I'd receive the results in the post within 3 weeks. She then asked me several questions: are you on any contraception? Could you be pregnant? When was the first day of your previous period?
After answering the questions, she asked me to go behind the curtain, take off my underwear (as I was wearing a flowy dress; otherwise I'd have been told to undress from the waist down), lie on the bed with my head to the wall and then call her over when ready. A sheet was also provided to cover your nether regions before the exam started. After calling her over, she asked me to bend my knees and then to let them fall to each side, whereas some of my friends have been asked to put their legs in stirrups. She then inserted a metal speculum, which opened in order for her to be able to access the cervix, before using a brush to collect a sample of cells from the cervix itself. At each step the nurse checked that I was okay (which I was) before moving on and it was a very quick and completely painless (albeit weird) experience. Many people get shown each piece of equipment prior to its use, however this wasn't the case with me.
The nurse then went to the other side of the curtain whilst I got changed again, and then I was free to leave. The whole appointment lasted under 10 minutes and the nurse was lovely but not patronising, which was appreciated.
After the appointment
After the appointment, I had some spotting which the nurse had warned me about and assured me was completely normal, but beyond that I was completely fine. That said, some of my friends have experienced bad cramping after their smear tests so I would plan for a relaxed afternoon just on the off chance that that is the case with you.
All in all I would strongly recommend getting a cervical screening as it is better to be safe than sorry and if there are any abnormal cells it is better to know that as soon as possible. The nurses know what they are doing and have likely done hundreds of smear tests previously. In my experience, it wasn't scary or painful at all and hopefully yours won't be either!
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