Cervical Screening (Smear Tests)

Cervical screening (a smear test) checks the health of your cervix. The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina. It's not a test for cancer, it's a test to help prevent cancer.

  • All women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 should be invited by letter every 3 years from the ages of 25-49, every 5 years from ages 50-64, women age 65 and over will only be invited if one of the last previous test was abnormal.
  • During the screening appointment, a small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix.
  • The sample is checked for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix. These are called "high risk" types of HPV.
  • If these types of HPV are not found, you do not need any further tests.
  • If these types of HPV are found, the sample is then checked for any changes in the cells of your cervix. These can then be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
  • The nurse or doctor will tell you when you can expect your results letter.

How cervical screening helps prevent cancer

Cervical screening checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

These types of HPV can cause abnormal changes to the cells in your cervix and are called "high risk" types of HPV.

If these types of HPV are found during screening (an HPV positive result), the sample of cells is then checked for abnormal changes. If abnormal cells are not treated, they may turn into cervical cancer.

What is HPV?

HPV is the name for a very common group of viruses.

Most people will get some type of HPV during their lives. It is very common and nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about.

You can get HPV from any kind of skin-to-skin contact of the genital area, not just from penetrative sex.

This includes:

  • vaginal, oral or anal sex
  • any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
  • sharing sex toys

Some types of HPV (called "high risk" types) can cause cervical cancer. In most cases your body will get rid of HPV without it causing any problems. But sometimes HPV can stay in your body for a long time.

If high risk types of HPV stay in your body, they can cause changes to the cells in your cervix. These changes may become cervical cancer if not treated.

If you do not have a high risk type of HPV it is very unlikely you will get cervical cancer, even if you have had abnormal cell changes in your cervix before.

Who's at risk of cervical cancer

If you have a cervix and have had any kind of sexual contact, with a man or a woman, you could get cervical cancer. This is because nearly all cervical cancers are caused by infection with high risk types of HPV.

You can get HPV through:

  • vaginal, oral or anal sex
  • any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
  • sharing sex toys

You're still at risk of cervical cancer if:

  • you have had the HPV vaccine – it does not protect you from all types of HPV, so you're still at risk of cervical cancer
  • you have only had 1 sexual partner – you can get HPV the first time you're sexually active
  • you have had the same partner, or not had sex, for a long time – you can have HPV for a long time without knowing it
  • you're a lesbian or bisexual – you're at risk if you have had any sexual contact
  • you're a trans man with a cervix – read about if trans men should have cervical screening
  • you have had a partial hysterectomy that did not remove all of your cervix

If you've never had any kind of sexual contact with a man or woman, you may decide not to go for cervical screening when you are invited. But you can still have a test if you want one.

If you're not sure whether to have cervical screening, talk to your GP or nurse.

You can contact the Cervical Screening team directly on 0116 2957 879