Cervical Screening

SMEAR TESTS:

A smear test is a simple examination to check the health of a woman’s cervix. It is called a smear test (or Pap smear) because the doctor or nurse takes a small sample of cervical cells and smears them onto a glass slide to be analysed under a microscope. If abnormal cells are found, in many cases they will go back to normal on their own, but sometimes they continue to develop. If left untreated, these cells may eventually develop into cancer. However, it usually takes more than 10 years for this to happen, and cervical cancer can easily be prevented if abnormal changes are found and treated early.

The Department of Health recommends that women between the ages of 25 and 65 have routine cervical smears every three to five years as part of the NHS Screening Programme. However, some recommendations suggest women should have annual smear tests to reduce the risk even further. At the Avenue Clinic we use the latest ThinPrep technology, currently the most accurate way of having a cervical smear.