Well good news this morning as I received my results from the smear I had at my hospital last week. No sign of HPV so they have said as I am over 65 I will not be recalled to have anymore. But I think the first sign of anything I am not happy about I will be contacting them whatever age I am. Very relieved and to be honest surprised and I don’t know why! Feeling very blessed at the moment and fairly normal apart from a couple of things.
Yes, Nikki65 you’re right.
It’s the first thing they test in the UK now-this changed a few years ago, If you test negative for hpv, there’s nothing else done. If you test positive, then you’ll be sent for a colposcopy to check for abnormal cells. When I was part of cancer support groups I always advised ladies not to rely on a smear test if they had any worrying symptoms but to make sure they got anything checked out if they felt things weren’t right.
A smear test is not a diagnostic test for cervical cancer. It’s a check for active hpv, and from there a check of the cells, but not if you have a negative result. The cells which caused my type of cancer-adenocarcinoma-grow high up in the cervix so are often missed on a smear which brushes the surface of the cervix. And not all cervical cancer is caused by hpv, so sometimes things are missed.
Sarah xx
