Make time for your smear test

Getting results
The slide is sent to the hospital laboratory where it is examined for any abnormal cells. Each smear contains roughly 50,000-300,000 cells. Within a month you should get your results back: a normal result means you don't have to do anything else, but in some cases your doctor may want to call you in. This may be because:

• You need a repeat smear test. The original test had an inadequate number of cells on it, or there was an infection in the cervix.
• You get a 'borderline' result. The laboratory has found a few abnormal cells but not enough to cause concern. In this case you may need a repeat test in six months just to be sure.
• Abnormal cells 'cervical dysplasia' have been found. Cervical dysplasia means changes in a cell or cells in the epithelium - the tissue covering the cervix - have happened. If it only affected a few cells your doctor may decide to 'watch and wait' and then retest you in several months. If more show up you may have to have a colposcopy examination, which uses a microscope to view the cervix under magnification. You might also have a biopsy, which will remove a small sample of tissue from one or more areas of the cervix.

An abnormal smear test result doesn't mean you have cervical cancer: over 200,000 tests come back with abnormal results in the UK yet only 3,500 develop cervical cancer.