Smear tests

car line

Hey , Im 25, not slept with anyone .. Should i go for a smear test for health reasons anyway? I live in Dublin .. how do you make a appointment? what hospitals / clinics do you go to ? do you go to yur own doctor? please somebody write back, i havent a clue, & dont have anyone to ask about it.

seastar

Hey
I'm fairly sure that you should go for a smear test, even if you're not sexually active. You just make an appointment with your usual doctor. Tell them over the phone that you want a smear test as some doctors only do it on certain days. It's fairly uncomfortable but you'll be delighted when you have it done as you'll be able to put your mind at ease (I put it off for years and years and was just storing up problems for myself as I actually had irregular cells and didn't know it!)
Best of luck with it

LegacyUser

http://www.wellwomancentre.ie/

dudara

Any woman of child bearing years should be getting regular smear tests. You can go to your regular GP, or you can go to a clinic such as wellwoman. Just make sure to let them know that the appointment is for a smear test before you go in.

When I last got a smear test, it cost a little extra over the regular appointment cost, E70 if I remember correctly.

Make sure that you do get tested, even though it's not the most fun thing to do ever, but it will help you feel relaxed about your health.

car line

thanks for replying , just another thing .. is it an old wives tale that they can tell if you havent been with anyone ? i just dont want to be embarrassed & asked why am i there in the middle of it or something .. (but hopefully a doctor wouldnt do that)

Talliesin

The link between intercourse and cervical cancer is much stronger than that between smoking and lung cancer.

There have been reports of women getting cervical cancer without having had intercourse, though some people dispute them (after all, some people will still lie about being virgins when they aren't).

If you have had neither intercourse nor any sort of sexual play which could have introduced semen to your vagina and there are not other factors that would increase risks (family history, weak immune system) then your risks are pretty much nil.

It can also be more difficult to perform a smear on a virgin (if you have an intact hymen).

There is still possibly a small risk (just how small is debated) and you could find the smear brought peace of mind.

Also, if you are a virgin ask your doctor about the HPV vaccine, which will reduce your risk in later life.

Talliesin

car line wrote:

is it an old wives tale that they can tell if you havent been with anyone ?

The hymen is only going to be completely intact in a virgin, though its not being intact does not necessarily indicate virginity.

car line wrote:

i just dont want to be embarrassed & asked why am i there in the middle of it or something .. (but hopefully a doctor wouldnt do that)

A doctor wouldn't do that, their only interest in your sexual history is in terms of how it relates to your health.

dame

Hi Op,

Since you're not sexually active then you should also get the new vaccine against cervical cancer.
Here's a link;
http://www.vhi.ie/news/n191006a.jsp

If I was you I'd go for my first shot of that on the same day as I got my smear test done. Just imagine knowing that in six months time, when you've had the shots, you're never going to get cervical cancer. Fantastic!

walshb

dame wrote:

Hi Op,

Since you're not sexually active then you should also get the new vaccine against cervical cancer.
Here's a link;
http://www.vhi.ie/news/n191006a.jsp

If I was you I'd go for my first shot of that on the same day as I got my smear test done. Just imagine knowing that in six months time, when you've had the shots, you're never going to get cervical cancer. Fantastic!

You know the old phrase, 'never say never'....you should take this into account Dame

dame

walshb wrote:

You know the old phrase, 'never say never'....you should take this into account Dame

Quote from the link I posted above;

"Cervical Cancer Vaccine in Ireland

A new vaccine, which it is hoped will cut the incidence of cervical cancer, is now available in Ireland.

Gardasil has been shown to protect young women against the human papilloma virus, a sexually transmitted virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer. Most women will overcome the virus but it in some cases it will cause cancer among women.

The vaccine was launched in Ireland this week after getting the green light from Europe’s drug regulators last month. However the vaccine will not be cheap. It is only available privately through GPs and is likely to cost €345.

The Government has yet to decide whether or not to make the vaccine free of charge. Earlier this month the highly influential Lancet medical journal called for routine vaccination of all adolescent girls in EU countries.

The new vaccine is aimed at females aged 9 - 26 years but is most effective to protect those who are not sexually active. The vaccine is given in three doses over a 6-month period.

However the Irish Cancer Society said the vaccine is no replacement for regular smear tests for cancer. She said that one in five Irish women has never had a smear test

In Ireland, around 70 women die from cervical cancer every year.

Posted Thursday 19th October 2006"


There you go Walshb. I copied and pasted the information from the link that I posted earlier and I even highlighted and underlined the relevant sentence. That should make everything clear.
Reading a full post together with the links included usually helps give a fuller picture.

car line

Talliesin wrote:

It can also be more difficult to perform a smear on a virgin (if you have an intact hymen).

Does anyone know how difficult ? i dont want a big fuss made when im there , like im the only person they ve had difficulty with ... do they ask you questions about when you were last with someone .. or anything like that?

spurious

Your doctor will have seen much older women than you who are virgins. It's no big deal, really.

You are at a practically non-existent risk for cervical cancer if you have never had sex. It is caused by a virus that is spread through intercourse.

Talk to your doctor about these things and whatever worry you have that is driving you to have what is (in your situation) an unnecessary procedure. That is what he/she is there for.

bug

car line wrote:

Does anyone know how difficult ? i dont want a big fuss made when im there , like im the only person they ve had difficulty with ... do they ask you questions about when you were last with someone .. or anything like that?

Had a smear test recently Tallesin have you?

I doubt anyone will make a big fuss of you, its a procedure most doctors in the well woman clinic at least perform a good few times a day.
Mostly they ask "are you sexually active" in which case you answer yes or no.
But really its in your interest to give full discloser to a doctor in any situation to get the best medical treatment, generally speaking.

You can call the well woman clinic and make an appointment and talk to the doctor before you get it done. Make an appointment for a check up and consultation first. A doctor or the practitioner themselves is the best person to ask these questions.

tSubh Dearg

When I went for my first smear test at the age of 22, I asked the doctor there if my friends who were still virgins and the same age as me needed to go for a smear test. (They asked me to ask)

She told me that no, they didn't need to go until 1 year after they had had intercourse for the first time.

I think that you should probably have a chat with your doctor first about whether you need to have a smear at all yet, discussing your families medical history etc. They'll be able to best advise you about smear tests and about getting the HPV vaccine.

Talliesin

dame wrote:

Since you're not sexually active then you should also get the new vaccine against cervical cancer.

dame wrote:

If I was you I'd go for my first shot of that on the same day as I got my smear test done. Just imagine knowing that in six months time, when you've had the shots, you're never going to get cervical cancer. Fantastic!

Eh. Either you believe that HPV is the only possible cause or you don't.
If you believe that then you believe there is no reason why a virgin should have a smear.
If you don't believe that then you don't believe the vaccine could possibly offer a 100% guarantee since it only deals with HPV.

Faith

car line wrote:

Does anyone know how difficult ? i dont want a big fuss made when im there , like im the only person they ve had difficulty with ... do they ask you questions about when you were last with someone .. or anything like that?

I'm not gonna lie to you, OP, it's an uncomfortable experience. Basically a big metal thing is put inside you, which then holds your vaginal walls open, while some cells are scraped from your cervix. If you're tense and nervous, your vaginal walls will contract, making it a little bit more uncomfortable.

It sucks, but it's fairly quick and could save your life. Just remember that your doctor probably does several of these a day, and has seen just about everything.

They'll ask about your sexual history, but if you tell them that you're a virgin, they probably won't ask anything more. Female doctors in particular tend to be sympathetic to your discomfort!

You're right to get one done, even if you're not sexually active. I wasn't when I got my first one, but my doctor insisted it was for the best.

dame

Talliesin wrote:

Eh. Either you believe that HPV is the only possible cause or you don't.
If you believe that then you believe there is no reason why a virgin should have a smear.
If you don't believe that then you don't believe the vaccine could possibly offer a 100% guarantee since it only deals with HPV.

Did you read the link???????

See the line I highlighted. Even the professionals are saying that you should still have regular smear tests after you've had the vaccine.

A smear test is a short test that is recommended for all women when they become sexually active. It may put the OP's mind at ease to have the test even though she hasn't become sexually active yet. It won't do her any harm. We have a medical scheme at work and all the women have their smear test regularly.

Re having the vaccine at the same time;
It makes sense to combine two visits to the doctor in one. If nothing else it saves time and money.

OP, the only real solution for you is to ask your doctor if you need to have a smear test at this time. You should go and get the vaccine anyway. If they think you need a smear test then they can do it on the same day (as long as you're not having your period or are only a few days past it). Apparently the vaccine is most effective when administered to younger women and girls (9-26 years old).