Girls this is one for you. I want to make all women aware of the seriousness of having your regular smear tests. I want to make this aware because last September I went to the doctors as I was having problems down below; these issues were pain during intercourse, bleeding after intercourse and various bleeding throughout the month. The nurse at my surgery gave me a smear test, which I had heard horror stories about, and I can promise you it really doesn’t hurt and takes a matter of minutes if that. She said it would take up to two weeks to get the results. The wait was awful as I just wanted to know what was wrong with me, I can sometimes think the worst in everything and was thinking “oh no I have cancer, who’s gonna look after my kids”,  I can also say that all the drama was putting a strain on mine and my partners relationship. The final result was that I had severe abnormal cells, I was seen pretty quickly after that and had to have aColposcopy – This is a close examination of your cervix. It involves the use of a speculum (an instrument inserted into the vagina to allow the consultant to see the neck of the womb or cervix). Your consultant gynaecologist will then examine your cervix through a magnifying glass (colposcope). If abnormal cells are found a sample (biopsy) may be taken for further testing to see if the abnormal cells have spread into the lower layers of tissue in your cervix.  I then had to wait to for the results of the biopsy, it felt like I had to wait forever when in fairness it was only a matter of weeks. The consultant had written that he had cleared the bad cells and that I would have to have regular smears (every 6 months) to monitor whether they have come back. The reason I have chose to write this now is because it has been 4 months and for the past 3 months I have had all the same symptoms as before, they are gradually getting worse so I am booking another smear.  Wish me luck girlies.

The cause of cervical cancer is currently not fully understood. Human papilloma virus (HPV) leads to nearly all cases of cervical cancer, but it is not clear why some women develop HPV and others don’t, or why some women with HPV develop cervical cancer and others don’t.          

Here are some of the causes;

Many sexual partners – HPV can be passed through intercourse, so the greater your or your partner’s number of sexual partners, the greater the risk for developing HPV. 

Early sexual activity (before the age of 17) – immature cells are more vulnerable to HPV. 

Long term use of the contraceptive pill – this may reduce the use of barrier methods of contraception that safeguard against HPV and other sexually transmitted diseases. 

Smoking – tobacco use is linked with the development of cervical cancer. 

Weak immune system – if you have HPV and a weak immune system caused by another condition such as HIV or rheumatoid arthritis, you are more likely to develop cervical cancer