Cervical screening
What is cervical screening?
Cervical screening is a test that can help prevent cervical cancer.
Anyone with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 64 is advised to go for regular screening. The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina. You will be sent a letter in the post inviting you to make an appointment.
Cervical screening checks for certain types of HPV called “high-risk” HPV from a sample of cells from your cervix. High-risk HPV can cause abnormal cell changes in the cervix, which if left untreated could progress into cancer. Whilst most people who have high-risk HPV do not develop cervical cancer, two high-risk types, HPV 16 and HPV 18, are responsible globally for 71% of cervical cancers worldwide.
Cervical screening aims to find and treat changes to cells before they turn into cancer.
It’s important that you attend your cervical screening appointment when invited as it can help prevent cervical cancer.
What happens during a cervical screening appointment?
Most cervical screening appointments will take place in a GP surgery, and some may be in a local sexual health clinic or walk in centre.
- The cervical screening test itself should take less than 5 minutes and you don’t need to be worried about it. You’ll be in control of the test. If you need to stop or change your posture, if you feel uncomfortable, ask the nurse to stop at any time. You’ll need to undress from the waist down, so it is handy to wear a dress or a long jumper.
- The screening involves obtaining a small sample of cells from your cervix for testing. The sample is then sent to a lab where it will be examined for the presence of certain types of HPV.
If HPV is detected, your sample will be checked to see if you have any abnormal cells in your cervix. You might need a colposcopy if your cervical screening results show abnormal changes to the cells of your cervix. A colposcopy is an examination to take a closer look at your cervix.
If HPV is not found, there is no need to check for abnormal cells. This is because your risk of developing cervical cancer is very low if you do not have HPV. Your cervical screening results letter will explain if the virus was found in your sample, what your result means, and what happens next.
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GB-NON-09508 | Date of Preparation: July 2024
