‘It was over before you know’

People do not know the options to make their screening cervical easier and more comfortable is “Costing lives”A cancer charity warned last month.

To find out what the test for the first timers look like, the BBC spoke to six people who have undergone their first cervical screening, formerly known as a smear test, in the past six months.

Cervical projections, offered by the NHS to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64, test the presence of certain types of human papillomavirus (VPH), the virus that causes 99% cervical cancers.

During the test, a nurse uses a speculum – a tool to open the vagina – and a brush to remove a sample of cells from the cervix.

This is what the test does for the first time for the first time for six people, and what they want to know in advance.

Erica Donelly, 26, who lives in Sunderland, waited about a year to make a screening appointment after receiving an invitation.

“I was in a massive panic on this subject because I have an SSPT linked to a sexual trauma, so I was really very nervous about it,” she said.

When she finally did the test last month, she brought her partner with her to get support and to help her in case she has a flashback or a panic attack. Having them there has also made the experience more “comfortable and relaxed”, she says.

Bianca Ionici, 27, who lives in London, says that she has pushed her cervical screening “for at least two years” due to concerns about pain.

But after obtaining another invitation which contained a lot of information on the process, Bianca reserved its projection in January.

Other people say they have reserved their projections as soon as they could.

Eleanor Gratton, who passed his test at the end of last year at the age of 25, says that his friends were afraid that the process was “uncomfortable and painful”. But as more and more people in her group had their projections, she says they did not find that this was the case.

Jessica TSE was “really anxious” before her cervical projection in December.

“I didn’t know if it was going to hurt,” she said.

But the nurse “spoke to me, distracted me throughout” and explained the procedure “very clearly”, she adds.

“Regarding pain, it was uncomfortable and it was something that I had not felt before,” recalls Bianca.

But “it was over before I know,” she said.

Others say that they have experienced any discomfort – like Megan Burns, a creator of social media content living in Brighton.

“It was nothing,” said Megan, who suffered his first screening in September at the age of 25. “I couldn’t feel anything.” She says that the fact that she had already had two children made her less worried about the experience.

“These nurses have seen everything,” adds Megan.

Some people feel under pressure to shave their pubic hair or wear their best underwear, she says. But speaking as a former health worker, Megan says “You are there to do a job, you are not careful about these things”.

While most people only feel light pain at their appointments, some people experience more discomfort during their appointments.

“Some people find uncomfortable cervical screening, but that should not be painful,” calls it the day before said. He notes that certain conditions such as endometriosis, vaginism and menopause can make screening.

The NHS says that patients control screening and “may ask the nurse to stop at any time”.

People can request adjustments to make their screening easier or more comfortable. These include:

• A smaller speculum (the tube -shaped tool inserted in the vagina to help the nurse take the sample)
• A longer meeting so that you are not in a hurry
• More lubrication
• Go to a different position
• Insert or guide the speculum yourself
• Bring a friend to support

But very few people know that they can ask for these accommodation, according to recent research by the call of the Seve. Less than a quarter of those questioned said they knew they could ask for a smaller speculum and that only 12% said they knew they could ask for a double appointment.

Some of the people to which the BBC spoke said that they did not know that they could have asked for housing.

Bianca says she asked the nurse to use a smaller speculum after reading on this subject online.

But she thinks that information on adjustments should be reported more clearly when you book the appointment, because some must be thought of in advance – like bringing a friend or reserving a double slit.

Jack Latham, a 28 -year -old personal trainer living in Kent, says he received his first projection invitation at the age of 25, just after his exit as trans. He says that his general practitioner was “incredibly favorable” and that there was even a poster In the waiting room of his surgery encouraging trans men to undergo cervical screening.

Trans and non -binary people who have a cervix should still have Regular cervical projections.

Jack says he had rejected the appointment out of fear, until he passed a blood test in the summer of 2024 and that the nurse offered him a cervical projection on the spot.

“It was so much faster and much less a more important affair,” said Jack. “It is far from being as bad as you think.”

Some trans men previously told to the BBC They had not been invited to obtain cervical projections because they were listed as men in medical records, although they always had a cervix.

The NHS wants to encourage more people to opt for their cervical projections. NHS England promised to Eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

Women aged 25 to 49 are encouraged to have screening every three years, while women aged 50 to 64 should have one every five years.

NHS data in England in March 2024 showed that 44.5% of women aged 25 to 29 had not been projected in the past 3.5 years. For 30 to 34 year olds, this figure was 35.3%.

The proportion of younger women who has been adequately screened has dropped a little in recent years.

Dr. Sue Mann, national clinical director of the NHS for women’s health, told BBC in a statement that doctors know that some women find screening “very worrying and uncomfortable”.

She pointed out that adjustments are still available and that women should reserve their projections, even if they were invited months or years ago.

An exhibition at the Vagina Museum in eastern London last year encouraged visitors to write improvements they would like to see at the NHS cervical screening service on paper sheets.

The artist Ella Clancy, who produced the display, says that common requests included more information on the available adjustments – in particular by asking for smaller speculums – the nurses speaking of people through exactly what they were doing When they were screening and staff being more issued in trauma.

Eleanor says that there should be more education around what HPV is. School students are generally vaccinated against HPV between the eight and 10th year and the 10th year, but Eleanor said that it was not clear at the time what was for.

Jessica thinks that doctors should explain the results using a clearer language and said that she had to call it GP for a more in -depth explanation after receiving her letter of results.

Some people prefer to carry out medical tests in the comfort of their own house as far as possible. Cervical tests to do yourself are available in some countries, and King’s College London researchers tested them In London in 2021 with “fantastic” results. They involve making a vaginal swab which is then sent to a laboratory.

The NHS said last year it assessed if it should deploy the program more widely.

Eleanor says that she felt “reassured” knowing that a health professional has carried out her first screening, but would try to make a home version of the test after that if the option was available.

Jack, on the other hand, has his doubts. He said he would prefer a home kit for “convenience and flexibility” but that he “would have hesitations to know if I had done it correctly”.

If you have been affected by one of the problems mentioned in this article, please visit BBC Action Linewhere you can find the support