Cervical Smear - Is this normal?

The nurse told me nothing except it HAS to be done. 

I am actually not sexually active nor have I ever had sex yet. I decided to take the smear because I got sent 4 letters saying how vital it was and important and my mother said it was too.

Your not sexually active and never had sex yet, OMG no wonder you found it painful, poor you. How old are you then?  Did they reduce the age to under 25 or not to have the smear done. Did the nurse realise you were in fact a virgin?   Didn't think it was necessary to have this done if you wernt sexually active.Sorry you had to endure this. No wonder you bled.  Yes i expect the speculum did scratch your vaginal walls under the circumstances.  I wouldn't worry any more about this as some of us bleed even when we are sexually active after smear tests..  

Sue 

I am 25 but I got the letters when I was 24, the nurse nor letter informed it was for sexually active women it just stated it was important for women around that age to have it done. She never asked nor told me and I wish she did.

Even a work friend said it was to make sure nothing was wrong down there but never said it was for sexually active women either even though she has had it done, it seems they are not informing people correctly for the smear.

The nurse also never told me any issues that could be causing the pain she just said I had to stop being tense, sorry but how can I having something like that shoved up there

Not sure if the age was reduced I have read some threads of people saying they had it done at 17 (which seems way too bloody young). Sounds like instead of asking they just assume all women are sexually active.

 

This is really annoying me now, the nurse told you to stop being tense and relax having a metal speculum  inserted  when youre never been sexually active! or just not at the moment? Am i presuming wrong that you are a virgin?

Sorry to be so personal with my questions but the thought of this being done to any women whos never had sex, well it makes me cringe thinking about it.  As to aged 17, maybe they needed checking up for other reasons and were sexually active.  Gosh this is awful, ive had five kids and my last smear was so painful at the age of  59 i said never again, could be due to menopause though with me as all others were painless.  

Your right, it seems they assume all women are sexually active and i guess these days most are and sadly as young as 12 or less!

I am in total agreement with you Susan.....appalling treatment.

No it is fine I am a virgin. The nurse told me it hurt because I was being tensing up when she inserted it everytime. I was not tense at first until she opened the thing inside so I always tensed up the other 3 times she tried.

At least she was nice enough to not continue and did stop. She did say it was terrible this was my first experience with the test so she was an ok nurse. But again I was given no other information about the treatment other than it had to be done on women my age.

I wish the nurse at least asked if I was, I understand why personal information maybe but it is something doctors are meant to know or am I wrong about that?

My mother told me it would just be cold and uncomfortable, I would like to know what was used on her to not make it hurt! Also wondering if my mother does not know about it being for sexually active women because she didn't question it when I asked her what happens when you have a test and I been mailed to take one ASAP.

Please don't stop going for your smear tests.  I stopped going in my 50s because of pain and now I'm having to endure all the side effects of treatment for cervical cancer which was diagnosed earlier this year at age 60y.  With hindsight, I should have asked for asked for help.  For example, oestrogen cream can be used to help make examinations more comfortable.   Maybe taking a painkiller, an hour before the smear test, could help.  Ask for a smaller speculum.  Or maybe the person who did your last smear did not have a good technique:  it might not be so bad next time.   Remember: deep breaths to relax the test itself is over very quickly.

OMG Jayne  im so sorry and thanks for putting this, not just for me but others like me that are also very reluctant to have a smear test done.   Jayne all that they ever used with me was that gel, the nurse who did it told me she was left handed!  should that have made much difference ? She said she couldn't find my cervix.  presumed its because she was left handed? or a combination of that and me being menopausal ? 

Can i ask you what were your symptoms that made you aware of being something wrong? I do hope all works out good for you.

I think the speculum should be thinner but longer as in my own personal experience  its to short and this why the one doing the smear has to push so hard to get to the cervix which causes the pain. I remember when being examined during labour the midwife had a job as well trying to measure my dilation as she couldn't .reach properly with her fingers. Only time i had pain free smears were all done by man doctors but that was years ago before i started the menopause.

Do let us know how things go with you please

Sue x

I cannot take pills or tablets, my body won't expect them and makes me throw up when I try to take them, hence why it is hard for me to take the smear. 

I asked my nurse if anything else could be done about the pain but said nothing but painkillers.

To answer your question about my symptoms prior to my cervical cancer diagnosis.  Around August/September 2016 I suddenly started to get a persistent vaginal discharge.  It was yellow, non-itchy and odourless.  I thought I'd got a minor infection and wasn't at all worried .  I finally went to my GP in November - really should have gone within 2 weeks of my symptoms.  The test for infection came back as negative so I was referred for a scan.  In the meantime, late December, I had a vaginal bleed just like a period (definitely not right for a 60y old well past menopause) whereupon my GP put me a cancer pathway.  I think the the key thing is not to delay or be embarrassed about going to the doctor about any symptoms that are abnormal for you.

My cancer got to a stage 2 (quite large but no evidence of metastases) before I had any symptoms.  I had to have weeks of treatment: radical hysterectomy and chemo-radiotherapy to deal with it and then there are the side-effects.   So really it's great that the cervical screening programme is in place for us as early detection of abnormalities enables fairly minor treatments. 

I totally empathsise with your difficulties with the smear test.  Maybe you could ask to have a discussion about what could be done to make things easier for you.  The fact that so many of us avoid the test, for various reasons, indicates to me that there is a real need for more support in this area.

Have you tried soluble painkillers dissolved in water ?  Also, I've heard of women taking a prescribed tranquilizer such as valium to help get through the test.   Deep breaths and relaxing will also help.  Ask for a smaller speculum and lots of lubricant. Try and focus on the thought it'll all be over with very quickly.  Have a little treat lined up for yourself for afterwards.

Jane are you ok and all clear now? What a traumatic time this must of been for you. Now im really concerned as beginning of this year  i had as well a yellow discharge which later turned to a brownish red but it was only a discharge, went on for a few weeks but then cleared up. Ive never experienced a full bleed though.  Think if this did happen id def get it checked out. 

As you say  The fact that so many of us avoid the test, for various reasons, indicates to me tas well that there is a real need for more support in this area.

Sue 

I asked if there was any smaller, she said no

Also sadly no, because of the taste I gip and cannot handle it unless in very small sips which they say won't do anything for me.

For those wondering I did ask the nurse if there was any liquid or cream-type stuff that can help ease the pain but she said there wasn't. Which is strange as I have read of people saying their doctor or nurse would put some form of cream on it so make it less painful but it seems mine doesn't know anything about it or may not be allowed to.

Yes I read many avoid the test mainly due to the pain, you think with how painful it is for many women that they would of by now thought of a less painful way to not let us struggle with it. 

Nothing to numb the pain or anything. I hope one day they do some up with a better solution for it. I read horror stories that people had to get it done 3 times because the doctor kept saying they didn't get enough cells! One time is enough for the pain, 3 times those poor women.

I also hope you have been ok since then Jane and sorry to read something popped up. The test is a great way to check for early signs and such so I am not ruling it up, though I admit I have not rang back yet I will have to in January when I have less work time.

To answer your question (thankyou for asking) about if I'm OK/all clear.  I have to remain philosophical about the all clear thing: I'm on a 5 year follow-up programme so yet more tests.  In terms of ?OK: I'm good in most parts but the treatment has left me with, amongst other things, significant continence problems and some mobility issues as a consequence of lymphoedema.  The latter is a condition which can come about because the treatment involves removal and damage to the pelvic lymph nodes.  I'm not saying this for scaremongery reasons but to try and get across why my  cancer experience has changed my perspective.  On paper I was very low risk for cervical cancer but given a second chance I'd be first in the queue for regular cervical screening tests, despite some of the drawbacks.  It would seem that hpv self testing could be a way to go but I don't know enough about it to comment.

Jane