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Don't Dread the Cervical Smear Test

By Giulia Draycott

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What the smear test involves

When you go for your smear test, you'll be asked to take off your knickers and lie on the couch, or bed with your knees up and apart.

To conduct the smear test, the doctor or nurse puts a metal speculum inside your vagina. The speculum has two arms which open the vagina, so the cervix can be viewed clearly. A sample of skin cells is collected from the cervix with a small brush. The sample is then put into a pot of liquid and sent to the laboratory.

The smear test is uncomfortable rather than painful and the more relaxed you can remain, the easier it will be. Breathing slowly and deeply, while imagining yourself far away on a sunny beach, may help you to avoid tensing up.

What happens when you get the results

The smear results are sent back to the surgery or clinic where you had the test. You may not be contacted if everything is normal. However, if you ask when your results are due in, you can always call the surgery to confirm everything is fine.

If your results are borderline, showing small cell changes, you may be asked for a repeat smear in six months to check whether the cell changes have progressed or whether they have returned to normal.

If the results are abnormal or the smear test could not be read properly, you will be contacted to come into the surgery for a repeat smear or to discuss your results.