It's one of the best ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer. Read about who is at risk of cervical cancer and why screening is important. The old smear test looked for abnormal cells in your cervix first. If abnormal cells were found, you usually had a colposcopy and treatment to remove these cells. After your treatment, you had a HPV test. If HPV was not found, you did not need more treatment.
This is because your risk of developing cancer is very low if you do not have HPV. But most abnormal cells go back to normal by themselves. There is very little risk of them developing into cancer if you do not have HPV. This meant that some people had a colposcopy and treatment when they may not have needed it.
If HPV is found, your same test sample is checked for abnormal cells. If abnormal cells are found, you will have a colposcopy and treatment. If HPV is not found, we do not need to check for abnormal cells. This is because your risk of developing cervical cancer is very low if you do not have HPV.
HPV cervical screening is the best way to reduce your risk of developing cervical cancer. A test showing that you do not have HPV is more reliable than a test that finds you have normal cells. This is a safety measure to help protect you, and their staff, from coronavirus, because it makes sure only a few people are in the surgery at any time. Coronavirus means that your GP surgery may be doing appointments a bit differently.
Your GP surgery wants to keep you and your healthcare team protected from coronavirus, so they will be following government guidance on social distancing and using appropriate personal protective equipment PPE.
This means your visit might be longer than usual. Plan to spend at least 30 minutes at your GP surgery, which may include waiting for your appointment or being directed to the room. The test itself, where your nurse takes a sample of cells from your cervix, will still only take a few minutes.
When you book your appointment, your GP surgery will give you specific details and instructions about when to arrive and what to do once you arrive. They may ask you to:. You may only see your nurse at your appointment, instead of a receptionist or other health workers. All of this is done to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading. Face coverings are now mandatory in indoors spaces. A face covering is a piece of cloth that covers your nose and mouth see picture below.
A face covering aims to protect the people around you from coronavirus, just like other people wearing face coverings helps protect you. A nurse, sometimes called a sample taker, will invite you into a treatment room. They will explain what cervical screening is and check if you have any questions. If your nurse is wearing PPE, this may include a mask, gloves and apron. Your nurse will give you a private space to undress from the waist down, usually behind a curtain.
If you are wearing a dress or skirt, you can leave this on and just take off your underwear. Your nurse will ask you to lie on an examination bed and give you a new, clean paper sheet to cover the lower half of your body. You can lie:. Your nurse will let you know when the test is about to start.
First, they gently put a new, clean speculum into your vagina. A speculum is usually a plastic cylinder with a round end — sometimes a metal speculum is used. The speculum is the part that some people find uncomfortable. Once the speculum is inside your vagina, the nurse will gently open it so they can see your cervix. Then the nurse will use a small, soft brush to quickly take a sample of cells from your cervix. This may feel a bit strange, but should not be painful. The nurse will put your sample of cells into a small plastic container vial of liquid.
The liquid preserves the cells so they can be sent to a lab for testing. The nurse will take the speculum out of your vagina and give you a private space to dress again.
They will explain how and when you should get your results. Sometimes you may be asked to call your GP to get the results. The nurse or doctor who does your cervical screening will tell you when you can expect your results letter. If you have waited longer than you expected, call your GP surgery to see if they have any updates.
Sometimes you'll be asked to come back in 3 months to have the test again. This does not mean there's anything wrong, it's because the results were unclear. This is sometimes called an inadequate result. This does not mean you have cervical cancer now. But it could be a warning. The specific HPV type may be identified to determine the next step. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Cervical Cancer. Section Navigation.
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