Cervical Smear Test

A cervical smear test is a screening test that looks for any abnormal changes that might appear in the cells of the surface of the cervix.

If there are any abnormal changes they can be treated however not all changes lead to cancer.

It is advisable to have a smear test every few years and in doing so you reduce the chance of getting cervical cancer by almost 90%.

Cervical smear tests are a very good tool for screening and finding out whether there are any problems within the cervix.

As cervical cancer is usually very slow to develop, by having regular tests every few years it will help to ensure that no abnormalities are missed.
A certain percentage abnormalities are missed when having a cervical smear test and regular checks reduce the percentage considerably.

If there is an abnormality shown in the test, a second test will be taken within a few months to check whether the first results were correct or not.

Often some minor abnormalities can return to normal after a short while.

Where there are abnormal cells that require attention, there is a very high success rate in treatment and for this reason it is unfortunate that some woman don't have tests and leave it until it is too late to be treated.

Fortunately cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer.

All women who have ever been sexually active should have smear tests on a regular basis to ensure that they are safe.

Women who have never had sex don't need to have cervical smear tests.

A cervical smear test does not cause any pain and only takes a few minutes, and those few minutes could save your life.

A small sample of cells is taken from the surface of the cervix using a tiny brush and a small spatula.

If you haven't been checked in the last three years then it's time to book in for a test.