Cervical Screening – Don’t Ignore It
Even if you expect everything’s fine, don’t ignore your invite!
In Scotland, cervical screening is offered to anyone with a cervix aged between 25 and 64.
The cervical screening test (smear test) is designed to check your cervix for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes 99% of cervical cancers but has no symptoms.
The test should take no more than five minutes and could save your life.
Two people die from cervical cancer every day but a smear test can help stop it before it starts.
“I’ve done hundreds, if not thousands, of smear tests during my career so far. It can be a nervous time for some so I do what I can to put them at ease and always remind them that there’s no such thing as a silly question.
Afterwards, most people – especially those who have gone for the first time – are surprised by how quickly it’s all over. It takes just minutes, and could stop cancer before it starts.”
Practice Nurse Mary Horne, NHS Lothian