Suffragette1 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 is there any history in your family of cervical cancer? this would obviously make you more of a priority candidate. other than that, im not sure- clearly the guidelines have changed significantly since i had my first test. x As far as I'm aware, cervical cancer is in no way hereditary, it is in 99% of cases, caused by the HPV virus which is sexually transmitted. I had my furst smear at 16, and have had them regularly since then. I'm not sure when the guidelines changed, but back in the 80's, when I first started having them, you were automatically screened if you went on the pill and/or as soon as you became sexually active. Back then, I don't think the link between HPV and cervical cancer was widely known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 25 seems a long time to wait though especially as the legal age to have sex is 16 - and a lot of people don't even wait that long. I don't have any history of it in the family, thank god, but I don't want to take any chances. How much would a private screening cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Moomin Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Having had an abnormal result to a smear (i have had them reasonably regularly since I was 18 too) Its a scary thing. Fortunately nothing serious for me. I would always urge you to go and get them. I do find it interesting that women under the age of 25 are now not invited for smears. Especially with the apparent increase in younger sexual activity and HPV etc etc. Best thing you can do is ask your GP to be tested. Will be called every year for a few years I think now - because of the abnormal result (it seems that 3 clear smears and 4 clear biopsies would be enough!) always better safe than sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffragette1 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I doubt they will give you one Tess. Although I'm not 100% sure of the rules. I bet a lot of women under the age of 25 will be worrying about this now. Unless you're having symptoms (irregular heavy bleeding, bleeding after intercourse) then I shouldn't worry. Apparently it takes 10 years for cervical cancer to develop. Jade's case is fortunately very unsual, not to mention highly surprising that after several admissions to hospital bleeding and in pain and with a history of abnromal smears, they didn't do some investigative tests sooner and get an earlier diagnsosis, which would have led to a better outcome. I can understand why they increased the minimum age to 25 as apparently cervical cell changes in women under this age are very common and can often correct themsleves, and young women in the past have ended up having uneccessary treatments, which could potentially cause complications during pregnancy. It's difficult and there have been similar arguments about breast screening being offered only to women over 50 as breast cancer is increasingly common in women in their 30s and 40s. However, mammograms do not give as accurate a picture in pre-menopausal women due to the greater density of breast tissue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkymiss Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Very true suffragette, you're very sensible Although it's good if jade's case makes more people attend screenings people should probably remember it's still rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffragette1 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Very true suffragette, you're very sensible Although it's good if jade's case makes more people attend screenings people should probably remember it's still rare. I agree, Jade's case has undoubtedly spurred amny women into action as it's so easy to put off going and ignore letters informing you that your next smear is due etc. I just worry that her situation is causing unecessary angst amongst the under-25 group. The main thing to remember is as soon as you're eligible and/or have ever had an STI, then ensure that you don't put off going and have regular screenings. Even if abnormal cells are detected, it is still very treatable and there are 3 stages of pre-cancerous changes which are treated by straightforward laser (there is another method too that I can't remember) removal, before drastic action such as surgery is needed. Jade was diagnosed at stage 4 cervical cancer - stages 1-2 are often treatable, stage 3 - poor outlook, so her prognosis was very bleak from the outset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Unless you're having symptoms (irregular heavy bleeding, bleeding after intercourse) then I shouldn't worry. Apparently it takes 10 years for cervical cancer to develop. Jade's case is fortunately very unsual, not to mention highly surprising that after several admissions to hospital bleeding and in pain and with a history of abnromal smears, they didn't do some investigative tests sooner and get an earlier diagnsosis, which would have led to a better outcome. I can understand why they increased the minimum age to 25 as apparently cervical cell changes in women under this age are very common and can often correct themsleves, and young women in the past have ended up having uneccessary treatments, which could potentially cause complications during pregnancy. It's difficult and there have been similar arguments about breast screening being offered only to women over 50 as breast cancer is increasingly common in women in their 30s and 40s. However, mammograms do not give as accurate a picture in pre-menopausal women due to the greater density of breast tissue. Does that not mean that say, even if I was getting symptoms like that, unusual bleeding etc, they still wouldn't give me a screening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 The rules regarding this seem a bit stupid to me, you shouldn't have to wait until you are a certain age before you are entitled to one, you should be allowed one upon request. Just because you do not sleep with men does not mean you are not at risk at all. Actually, since statistical research including virgins and nuns has shown that the cervical cancer is normally zero in that group, it would suggest that having a test, worrying about the result and having the resources spent for doing the test are all really unnecessary if you aren't in any danger of having the disease. There was a very interesting study done which compared various female cancers using statistical figures from convents which obviously had a group of subjects who took no hormonal medication and never had sex so therefore never had babies. The study concluded that whilst the rates of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers were broadly similar to the background population (in fact in some cases they were higher- breast feeding is shown to reduce breast cancer risks later in life), the cervical cancer rate was effectively zero in this group. BTW- I didn't vote because although I haven't had a smear test recently that has more to do with me not having a cervix any more than it does with me choosing not to have the test done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Moomin Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Does that not mean that say, even if I was getting symptoms like that, unusual bleeding etc, they still wouldn't give me a screening? If you had symptoms like that then the first step they would take is likely to be a smear, along with other tests I would imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffragette1 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Does that not mean that say, even if I was getting symptoms like that, unusual bleeding etc, they still wouldn't give me a screening? No, I don't think so, I'm sure it would be investigated, so try not to worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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