Time for your smear test?

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers, and if unchecked it can go undetected for months, sometimes years. Of the 3,500 women who get cervical cancer in the UK each year, many have not had regular smear tests. That's why screening the cervix, (the narrow neck of the uterus that opens into the vagina), is so important.

Like most cancers the earlier cervical cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance for a cure. All women in the UK, from the ages of about 18 (or two years after first sexual intercourse) to 65 are entitled to a cervical smear every three to five years.

You should automatically be notified by your doctor or local health authority for a test that may be carried out by a practice nurse. But don't wait for your reminder: make an appointment yourself and remember the best time for a cervical smear is two weeks after your period.

How it's done
The smear test is quite simple. A speculum (a metal device used to dilate the vagina so that it can be inspected) is placed in your vagina and cells are skimmed from the surface of the cervix - or, if you've had a total hysterectomy, from the wall of the vagina - then smeared onto a glass slide. It may be uncomfortable but shouldn't be painful and you can have it done by a female nurse if you wish.

Getting the 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.

  What do I do now?
  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.