Protecting Your Health with Cervical Screening
What is Cervical Screening?
Cervical screening (also known as a smear test) is a quick and simple test to help prevent cervical cancer. It checks for abnormal cells in your cervix that could, if left untreated, develop into cancer.
It’s not a test for cancer itself, but it can:
According to Cancer Research UK, cervical screening prevents at least 2,000 cervical cancer deaths annually in the UK. It also significantly reduces the number of new cervical cancer cases by detecting abnormal cells before they can turn into cancer. The NHS Cervical Screening Programme saves around 5000 lives every year because of cervical screening. This statistic underscores the life-saving potential of attending regular screenings. (GOV.UK)
How often will I need Cervical Screening?
In England, cervical screening is offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64. The program sends invitations to all eligible individuals at the following intervals: every 3 years for ages 25-49, and every 5 years for ages 50-64. While it’s possible to contract HPV and develop cervical cancer without being sexually active, the risk is lower. The NHS recommends screening regardless of sexual history or orientation.
Transgender Individuals: If a trans man is registered with their GP as female, they will receive invitations. If registered as male, they can still request an appointment from their GP or nurse. Trans women do not need cervical screening.
What Happens During the Test?
- You’ll lie on an examination table while a small, smooth instrument (called a speculum) is gently inserted to hold your cervix open.
- A small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix with a soft brush. This process takes only a few moments and may feel uncomfortable, but it is usually not painful.
FAQ:
- Does it hurt? Some people feel a little uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t be painful. Let your nurse or doctor know if you’re uneasy.
- Why do I need it? Even if you feel fine, abnormal cells can develop without symptoms. Screening helps catch those changes early.
- What if I miss my appointment? It’s important to reschedule if you miss your screening—early detection is key!
Our Medics PCN Cervical Screening Project
Medics PCN is partnering with Caja/BLMK to integrate Behavioural Science into cervical screening campaigns. By understanding how people make decisions, we help encourage participation whilst respecting your autonomy. Behavioural Science helps us understand how people make decisions and how small changes can encourage better choices. Our goal is to make your health decisions easier by providing gentle nudges like reminders, clear messages, and helpful information. At the moment (April 2025) we are running a 10-week pilot project with one of our partner surgeries, Medici Medical Practice. In this we are inviting patients for Cervical Screening and sending them reminders based on the useful resources provided by CAJA.
Available in Different Languages
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Arabic)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Bengali)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Gujarati)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Punjabi)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Urdu)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Hindi)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Polish)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (French)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Traditional Chinese)
- Cervical screening: helping you decide (Simplified Chinese)
Click here to get in touch with the team if you have any questions or concerns.