Doctor’s First Smear
I think I received my first invitation for a smear test a few months after I turned 25. I’m a doctor. I think the UK has some of the most effective health screening programmes in the whole world. I know that there are over 3000 new cases of cervical cancer in the UK every year, I know that the majority of the women diagnosed with cervical cancer are aged 25-29. And I know that over 800 women in the UK die of cervical cancer every year. I know this. But I did not want to have a smear test!
I consistently ignored letters and text message invites to have my first cervical smear. At work, I look after patients with cancer all the time. I know how evil and unforgiving the disease can be, so it’s not that I don’t take cancer seriously.
Frankly, I found the prospect of having a smear embarrassing, and was scared it would be painful. So many of my friends told me horror stories about how painful they are. As “the doctor”, I would tell them that they should get their smears done, because cervical cancers are one of the few cancers that is preventable should more women take advantage of this excellent national screening programme. Of course it’s easier to give good advice than take it yourself. I knew that I was low risk because I wasn’t sexually active and I had had the HPV vaccine when I was a teenager. So to be honest, I felt justified.
So I carried on in this state of bliss until I got married when I was 28 and 5 months old. Unfortunately for me, I married a very wise doctor. He couldn’t believe in all my six years of medical school and 5 years of doctor-ing I wouldn’t have such a simple test. So obviously I’m a big girl, I called my GP and scheduled my first smear test.
I had it on a Monday evening after a long day at work. I was met by a super lovely nurse who made me feel completely at ease. She knew it was my first one so she talked me through the whole thing, which I really appreciated. And within two minutes it was done! I felt so silly that I had postponed it for so long, and made it such a large issue. So that was it, my first smear done!
Two weeks later I received a letter in the post. The smear test results. I was pretty blasé about it because I knew everything would be clear. A few hours later I opened the letter. HPV positive. What the hell!? I couldn’t understand why this would happen! Like I said, I knew I was low risk. I then quickly became angry at my husband for making me do the test in the first place. I had now been invited for a colposcopy – a camera test to visualise the cervix and treat any abnormalities if seen. I was certain I didn’t want to do the colposcopy, so I planned to just ignore the letter like I had done the previous invites years before.
Of course, I couldn’t ignore it. It kept playing on my mind. My training meant that I was prone to way too many “what ifs”. So eventually I called the hospital and scheduled my colposcopy.
The hospital I was to have the colposcopy in was the same hospital I work in, so I awkwardly (but efficiently!) scheduled it during one of my lunch breaks. Again, I was met by an amazing nurse who was able to put me at ease straight away. The coolest thing about a colposcopy is you can see your cervix on a TV screen by the side of the bed. I must say, my cervix is very cute.
The nurse completed all her checks and said that it all looked clear, with no abnormal cells. Perfect. I exhaled. I asked her why I would be HPV positive if I’ve had the vaccine. She reminded me that the vaccine only protects against four strains of HPV, but there are many more that can live in the cervix even if the woman has never been sexually active. I remembered my medical school gynaecology notes, I’m sure I knew that in 2014. Within ten minutes I was back on the gastroenterology ward, caring for my patients.
That night I waved the letter explaining that I was all clear in my husband’s face, and promised not to make a big deal in a year’s time when I’m invited for the repeat smear. So what’s my mission now? To encourage all the young women around me to take control, and not deny themselves of their best chances of staying healthy because of fear of a test that takes two minutes. And actually doesn’t hurt at all.