The 30 seconds that could save your life!

This morning I had a lovely email from a woman I recently interviewed. Susan had had the horrible experience of being diagnosed with cervical cancer, and she told me all about it for a piece in Woman's Own magazine. Her story's now been published and she was basically writing to thank me for reporting it accurately (phew!) and for passing on the word about the importance of cervical screening.

Not everyone agrees that the test is important - but it saves 5000 lives a year.  

Here are three reasons for making sure you don't miss out. 

1. It takes just a few seconds

OK so you’ve also got to take time off work, sit in the waiting room, and then get half undressed. ‘But it’s worth it – because the smear test is the single best way of preventing cervical cancer by detecting precancerous changes,’ says Robert Music of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. ‘It’s just a quick brush of the cervix to remove a few surface cells. The test itself takes a few seconds – usually with a nurse - and you’re in and out of the consulting room in minutes.’

2.  The test’s just got even better

Since April this year, all borderline or mild changes have also been tested for HPV (human papilloma virus), the virus that can lead to cervical cancer. Adeola Olaitan, a consultant gynaecologist at London’s University College Hospital, says: ‘Four out of five of us get HPV, caught from genital contact, and it usually clears up without causing any harm. But persistent HPV can trigger cervical cancer, so the combination of HPV and mild cell changes on a smear result is a sign of greater likelihood of precancerous cells, and you’ll be offered treatment to remove these (a procedure known as colposcopy, which takes about 20 minutes as an outpatient). The good news is that, if you have the same cell changes on your smear, but test negative for HPV, you can go back to the usual screening every three or five years. In the past you’d need a repeat smear six months after an abnormal result.’

3. It’s only once every three years

Some say that is not often enough. But it's all you'll be offered - so make the most of it. Once you hit 50 you’ll be invited for smears every five years instead of every three. To my mind that plants the idea that the smear is less important at this age, and a lot of women seem to be thinking the same thing as figures show a decline in attendance after this age.  I've been given no convincing reasons for the change from three-yearly to five-yearly screening post-50, but, with a rise in the divorce rate and hence the number of women in this age group starting new relationships, complacency is dangerous and,  with only two screenings in that decade, I consider this even more reason to make sure you don't miss out. Age does NOT confer immunity: there are around 550 cases a year among 50-64 year olds, and around 260 deaths, according to government statistics. ‘The only reason screening stops at 64 is that, with so few women using HRT (which helps keep vaginal tissue moist) the test can be extremely uncomfortable – so it is also important to take any symptoms seriously, whatever your age,’ says Dr Szarewski, a sexual health expert at the University of London.