Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: 20032003 on January 17, 2016, 04:17:07 PM
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Confession... I'm 46 years old and have just been for my third pap smear. In Sweden they start sending you appointments from age 23 and then every 3 years. So obviously I should have had many more. I've lived abroad and so did my first pap smear in the US. I think I was almost 30. My pap smear was normal. The second one I did in Sweden, after we moved back. This was normal too. The midwife who tested me this time started out by telling me what they do if your pap smear is abnormal. I asked how common it was to have an abnormal pap smear, and she said "very common". It will take about 8 (!) weeks for my results to come back. But is that really true, that many pap smears come back abnormal? I'm more or less expecting an abnormal one now, and am annoyed that I won't know for about 8 weeks.... >:(
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::) ………. 8 week wait :o - why? My sister had a recall for her cervical smear many years ago, had 3 further tests 6 months apart. OK after.
It's the waiting for you ……… is there a GP you could talk with or a Gynae.?
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::) ………. 8 week wait :o - why? My sister had a recall for her cervical smear many years ago, had 3 further tests 6 months apart. OK after.
It's the waiting for you ……… is there a GP you could talk with or a Gynae.?
Well, appareantly they're sending all these routine smears to one place to get analyzed. That's the reason it's taking so absurdly long. But it's just HOW she said it, I guess. Otherwise I wouldn't have worried too much. She made it sound like there's something wrong with the majority of smears. But that can't be right, can it?!
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I am concerned about the length of time these smear slides are kept, maybe that's why she suggested that in Sweden it's 'very common'. It really does depend on how they are kept, if there is possibility of contamination or even if enough 'sample' is taken!
Maybe ask the question on one of the UK web-sites, i.e. Ovarian Cancer "Ovacome" or BACUP? They will have statistics to hand from across the World.
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But ovarian cancer and pap smears don't have anything do to with one another, I hope?
I guess I'm just looking for confirmation that you don't HAVE to have an abnormal pap smear... She went on to saying that it was the most common in young women having their first smears, and also 45-50-year-olds because that would be the age when women tend to switch partner at a greater rate. Well, I don't fall in to any of those categories.... Agewise, yes. But I haven't switched partner since 1994.... ;)
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Hello 20032003.
I am 59 now but when I was 23 I had a smear that showed abnormal cells and I was due to be recalled for further testing after six months. However I wasn't informed of this at the time and the appointment wasn't sent. I continued to have regular smears and they were always normal. Years later when I learned about the earlier results a nurse told me that abnormal tests are very common and cells can correct themselves so a watchful waiting approach is often used.
I understand your concern but even if your results were abnormal on this occasion that doesn't mean you will have a problem in the future. I hope my story gives you some reassurance.
Wishing you well.
K.
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:-X …….. my suggestion is that if you are worried maybe have a look-see at UK-based web-sites?
:thankyou: Kathleen
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Kathleen: Thank you :) ! This helped when my health anxiety reared its ugly head!
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:-X …….. my suggestion is that if you are worried maybe have a look-see at UK-based web-sites?
:thankyou: Kathleen
CLKD: I understand that you meant well :) ! I just need to hear from "regular" people that they have been fine... I know I'm weird... ;)
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Not weird at all! it doesn't take much to start the brain whizzing with 'what ifs' >:( ::) ……. we even have a thread somewhere about the various health anxiety issues.
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Not sure how I should interpret that so many people read and so few answered? Come on, ladies! How have your pap smears been through your life ;) ??? ?
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Hi there. I let mine slip in my early thirties. Then the awful Jade Goody thing prompted me to go for one. Thank heavens I did. It was abnormal and I was referred for colposcopy (totally painless). I had to have a minor procedure called a Lletz to remove abnormal cells. I have been on once yearly smears ever since and will continue to do so until 2019. In our area, very minor abnormalities are put on a watch and wait while more significant changes are dealt with very easily and promptly.
I think what I'm trying to say is even if a smear comes back abnormal it can be dealt with really easily and quickly so try not to worry. Cervical screening is so very important. I doubt I'd be here now if it wasn't for smear tests ;)
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Hi, I would say that smears are not very often abnormal, but it is not necessarily a cause for concern if it is.
When I was about 30 years old, it took 7 attempts to get a smear from me, because they were constantly returned as inadequate sample. It turned out I had a cervical erosion which was bleeding every time my cervix was touched. After a colposcopy and laser treatment it was all sorted out, and my smears have all been fine since.
But it was a bit of a stressful six months, waiting for the results every time, knowing that I was probably going to have to go back again and again.
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Dont' be too analytical about lack of response :-\ - maybe ladies don't have experience and feel it's un-appropriate to offer up comments ……...
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I've had approx 14 smears. There have a always been verbal warnings about the possibility of tests giving uncertain results. I did get recalled once (when I was about 40) but that was when the smear was taken when my bleed/period had only just finished. The recall smear was fine.
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I've never been warned nor have I asked. The letter is back within 10 days and has, to date, told me that all is 'normal'. Interesting point, the amount/not of 'abnormal' results.
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I've never been warned nor have I asked. The letter is back within 10 days and has, to date, told me that all is 'normal'. Interesting point, the amount/not of 'abnormal' results.
I swear that it was a 10-day turnaround on pap smear results last time I had mine. I thought it was absurd when she said 8 weeks and I even blurted out that I thought that it would take about 10 days to get the result back....
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The longest I've ever had to wait was four weeks. The surgery I've been with here for years is usually around ten days.
Maybe ring the surgery for some clarification?
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http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18932/nhs-cervical-stat-eng-2014-15-rep.pdf
From what I can work out, over 90% of tests come back negative.
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Hi - are you in the UK 20032003? I am fairly sure they need to get you the result within 2 weeks. It sounds to me as if the nurse doing your test was talking too much :) I don't think she has facts straight. I would say similar to earlier post, that it isn't the norm for tests to come back abnormal at all and that if they do, a large majority are for minor issues that are treatable. I think the leaflet I was given the last time around said all this - saying that you need not be alarmed if you are recalled for another test.
I have had regular smears, I was late for one I think. I have had two recalls and both were because the sample they took was not good enough.
I hope you can get the result sooner, 8 weeks seems too long. Another reason I think the nurse was having an irrelevant chat with herself ;)
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No, I'm ln Sweden. The woman who did my test is a midwife.
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For me, it's usually 3 weeks before the results come back.
Last time it was 2 - scared me to death it coming so quickly/ Unnecessarily as it turns out, everything was fine ::)
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I'd missed my smear by several years and eventually plucked up courage to go last October. My surgery is part of a new testing scheme which takes a brush sample and looks for the HPV virus rather than abnormal cells. It took less than a week to get result back which was clear and I may not now need another one. My GP said that if they found the virus you automatically get seen at the clinic and that there was now a lower cut off point for treatment so not to be to worried if I was recalled at that stage.
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Nurse has been using a brush here for years ::) - mine is probably 'due' before the end of 2017 :-\
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Brush was used for me too, but I think they analyze cells. She talked about the HPV virus as being the cause of most changes.
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When you say pap do you mean ordinary smear tests? If so, I've had them almost annually for the past 25 years! I first had an abnormal result all that time ago. The test was repeated 6 monthly for a couple of times to check it wasn't just 'error' and then I was sent for a colposcopy and they found the cell changes were such that I had to have an immediate cone biopsy (some centres used laser treatment apparently, others use the one that I had).
So because of this I have more regular smears and every so often there's an abnormal that corrects itself. I've one other colposcopy since but fortunately everything has always been ok.
My results from the smears have always come back with 2 weeks, although they always say it can take longer.
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I think we're talking tests taken in Sweden :-\ …….. and a far longer holding time that I think is necessary or 'good' for the condition of the slides????
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There was a time in the UK when results took six weeks or more. I remember from when I first had my smear, and from spending a short time in a cytology lab that this was very controversial at the time and a lot of work was put into reducing the time.
It always sounds like our screening services are limping along from the reports, but they do get some things right.
I hope you hear sooner 20032003, and that it will be good news.
There is loads of info on the UK screening services here: https://www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmes. (You can spend quite some time perusing all the documents ::) )
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Update :) ! I FINALLY got my results back - all normal :) ! The letter came on day 1 of week 8. Yes, I've been counting....
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20032003
That is brilliant news! Oh I'm so pleased for you, I know how frightening the wait can be.
One less thing to worry about :)
:foryou:
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20032003
That is brilliant news! Oh I'm so pleased for you, I know how frightening the wait can be.
One less thing to worry about :)
:foryou:
Thank you and trust me, my heart was POUNDING as I opened the envelope!
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I know EXACTLY what you mean about pounding heart sweetheart.
I have to have them yearly. The waiting gets worse each time. I can remember the last time ... Heart pounding, knees turning to jelly and then a feeling of overwhelming relief! ::)
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Hello 20032003.
I'm so pleased to read the good news and to know that your wait is finally over.
Take care and wishing you well.
K.
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Hello 20032003.
I'm so pleased to read the good news and to know that your wait is finally over.
Take care and wishing you well.
K.
Thank you :) !
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I've never waited longer than 3 weeks and I've been having smears since the 1970s.
So pleased that your results are 'normal' …….. now write to tell them how stressful these past weeks have been ?
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Hi Ladies,
I use to work screening smears although it was 14 years ago and things have changed abit since then, but I would just like to reassure you that whilst it may take weeks to get your results the samples are actually processed as soon as they reach the lab so there is chance of contamination.
When ever there is publicity the number of people having smears increases and it takes longer for the results.
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:thankyou: - I think that you may have missed out a word :-\
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:-\ yes I did I meant to say there is no chance of contamination :)
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Fingers working faster than the brain ;D