im in the uk. they have chnaged the age now to 25, for your first smear test.

when i was about 19, before they changed the age, i had a smear test, and i had the worst grade pre cancerous cells.

i had a CIN 3, which is the worst grade of pre cancerous cells before they turn cancerous.

I had 2 diathermy loop excisions,(where they burn the cells away) as they didnt remove them all the first time.

If they had not done a smear on me until i was 25, there would have been a high chance i would have had cancer.

this really annoys me, as there is other people in my position, and by the time they have there first smear at 25, it could be to late.

I have smear tests now every year, as i had the worst grade, and luckily, the last few years they have been all clear. I also pay private to, every 6 months and have another smear.


i dont understand why they have changed the age to 25?? this really upsets me. There has got to be other women under 25, like me who could have pre cancerous cells, and leaving it until there 25, could be to late.

Does the Uk have a universal healthcare system?

healthcare is free in the uk. but i do pay private for some things, is that what you mean??

Well, if healthcare is free, then i believe they may be trying to cut costs on testing that often comes up as clear in younger patients, so that they can keep the free medical care system in place. Its more money in their pocket for other things they could be testing for, like other forms of cancer/aids/disease.

Your case is different and it requires more attention, so its good you go private and pay for it.

im all clear now, they removed them all, ive had about 5 smear tests since, and private ones, and there all fine.

yes i understand there cutting costs, but women under 25, can get cervical cancer, so why the hell have they changed the age to 25!!!!!!!

No clue, its something you should talk about with the people that run that area, not sure exactly how you'd go about it, maybe start a petition or something, and get people more aware of it. Do your homework about it and educate the masses.

yes good idea, thanks

Not a problem!, thats what i'm here for!

It's far more common these days in young women, and yours is certainly not an obscure case. I would venture to say that if more women under the age of 25 actually went in for their smear test they would find more cases of it at that age. Let's face it...young 20yr olds don't necessarily think that kind of thing will happen to them.

so if you go to the dr in the uk it's not just standard procedure if you want birth control, no matter what your age to have a pap smear???

correct, they dont do smears on any women now until there 25.

i can't believe that i guess you'll have to singlehandedly take on your government...i'll back you up all i can...good luck seriously i just can't wrap my head around that one, debbie

i couldnt belive it when i had the worst grade of pre cancerous cells at 19. if they had waited until i was 25, i would have had full blown cancer.

im lucky now, because they test me every year, and i pay private to.

they test everyone else every 3 years unless they have had pre cancerous cells.

a lot of young girls are sleeping about, and apparently that puts you at a high risk of getting pre cancerous cells, so why the hell are they not doing smears until a women reaches 25, when there going for birth control at the age of 17.

ive never slept around, so i have no idea, why i had them.

my brothers girlfriend is a nurse, and she refuses to have a smear test, because she wont like it. i get so angry with her, because if i hadnt of had that smear test that detected the cin 3 pre cancerous cells, i could be dead now. it makes me so mad,

I had a partial hysterectomy in 1993, and have had many pap tests since. My question is this. I was told during a pap test that I have no cervix, it was taken in the surgery. So why do they still need to do the test at all????

And I totally agree with you. If they are old enough to need the birth control pills, they are old enough to have a pap smear.

PMS

Here, I don't think there's a minimum age. They encourage it beginning at 18 or whenever you become sexually active.

I had a girlfriend who had the same thing happen at about the same age. She had part of her cervix removed and has been fine since but if she hadn't been tested, she probably wouldn't be here. 25 seems way too old to begin.

i have no idea, because the cells are taken from the cervix.

PMS.......I had a hysterectomy and just by chance they did a smear. They don't usually do that for hysterectomy patients, but the dr that did the test didnt know that. I had cancerous cells growing on the "cuff" where my cervix used to be. I had more tests and the area was very small, so when they took the biopsy, I think they cut it out cuz when I went back in 3 months, it was gone.

I have still to have another done but after that lucky strike that the young dr didnt know he didnt HAVE to do it, I am checked regularly. You don't need a cervix to have pre cancerous cells.

I have a smear every year.i get to put my feet in stirrups while a man looks at my woo woo.closest thing to sex I get..