{"id":2983,"date":"2015-05-01T08:20:52","date_gmt":"2015-05-01T08:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2983"},"modified":"2024-02-22T18:02:08","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T18:02:08","slug":"smear-tests-what-if-my-test-is-abnormal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/smear-tests-what-if-my-test-is-abnormal\/","title":{"rendered":"Smear Tests &#8211; What if my test is Abnormal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Do not panic! &nbsp;Around 1 in 20 Smear Tests come back abnormal. &nbsp;Having abnormal smear test does not mean that you have or will have cervical cancer. &nbsp;It is sensible though to do some further tests to find out why. &nbsp;These tests can help to stop you developing cervical cancer, or to make a full recovery. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/worried-woman-1-1-1024x518.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7726\" width=\"768\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/worried-woman-1-1-1024x518.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/worried-woman-1-1-300x152.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/worried-woman-1-1-768x388.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/worried-woman-1-1-1536x777.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/worried-woman-1-1-2048x1036.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3>Cervical Cancer &#8211; UK Facts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Around 3,000 women each year are diagnosed with Cervical Cancer in the UK.<\/li><li>Fewer than 1 in 1000 women referred for a colposcopy have cervical cancer<\/li><li>Cervical cancer accounts for 2% of all female cancers<\/li><li>It is most common in women aged 30 to 45 who are sexually active<\/li><li>It is least common in the under 25 age group<\/li><li>Cervical cancer is most commonly caused by the HPV virus which is usually sexually transmitted.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>What happens if my test is abnormal?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your Smear Test should also be tested to see if you have an HPV infection. &nbsp;This is done by the laboratory, and is included at no further charge for all Better2Know Smear Tests. &nbsp;This will help your gynecologist have a full picture of your cervical health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will be referred to a specialist appointment with a gynecologist. &nbsp;It is up to you whether you want to take this referral to your NHS doctor or to continue privately. &nbsp;Usually it is recommended that the abnormal cells are removed. &nbsp;This is often done through a procedure called a colposcopy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>What is a Colposcopy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A colposcopy is done by a doctor or nurse who has been specially trained. &nbsp;It is usually done at an outpatient procedure. &nbsp;The doctor or nurse will ask you to lie down in a special chair, which keeps your legs apart. &nbsp;They will then examine your cervix &#8211; using an item called a speculum which is gently inserted into your vagina, and then opened to enable examination. &nbsp;They will use a colposcope (which is a microscope with a strong light) which does not enter your vagina. &nbsp;There may be a camera on it, so that you can also see what the specialist sees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A liquid can be applied to the cells which helps to highlight any abnormal cells, these can be removed to do a biopsy to do further examination of the cells before deciding on any treatment. &nbsp;If this happens, you might feel a small scratch when the cells are taken. &nbsp;These are then sent to a laboratory for analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This procedure takes between 5 and 15 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About 40% of women are told at the colposcopy that their cervix is normal without the need for any further examinations or testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If treatment is needed, this can sometimes be done at the same appointment. &nbsp;The most common is a large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ), which removes the abnormal cells in your cervix. This is carried out under local anaesthetic and involves a heated loop removing the abnormal cells. &nbsp;This has a success rate of 90%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following treatment, you will be invited back for a further smear test to check the treatment has worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A colposcopy is available privately across the UK and costs between \u00a3500 and \u00a31200. &nbsp;If you have a private smear test with Better2Know, you can take your report to the NHS and continue your pathway with them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do not panic! &nbsp;Around 1 in 20 Smear Tests come back abnormal. &nbsp;Having abnormal smear test does not mean that you have or will have cervical cancer. &nbsp;It is sensible though to do some further tests to find out why. &nbsp;These tests can help to stop you developing cervical cancer, or to make a full [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[55,20],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[2378,618,2024,707,612,1052,1378,762,831,1016,1012,2240,706,797,602,597,629],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2983"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2983"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7727,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2983\/revisions\/7727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2983"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=2983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}