My Cervical Screening Experience
Warning: TMI. If you’re a man, related to me, or just easily offended you might want to click away.
We’ve all got to do it. Well, all of us with a cervix have to at least. What am I talking about? Cervical screening of course. The smear test. Or “pap smear” if you’re American. That dreaded letter you get just before you turn 25.
A quick overview for those unfamiliar with the test. The cervical screening test is to detect whether there are any abnormal cells in the cervix, which if untreated could lead to cervical cancer. If the test detects abnormal cells- you can then get them removed, and- yay!- you don’t get cervical cancer! Great right? In the test itself, a plastic instrument called a speculum is inserted into the vagina to open it up so the nurse can find your cervix, then a small brush is used to take the cells. Sounds really scary but it’s not as bad as it seems, honestly!
