There are many reasons which can make attending smear tests difficult. Things such as fear, embarrassment, anxiety and a previous bad experience can all mean even taking the first step to book an appointment can be hard. However another barrier to smear tests is physically being able to access the test and more and more women are telling us that they are struggling to get appointments.

If you have had a bad experience at a smear test, it can understandably have a negative impact on how you feel about going for a test in the future.

While smear tests are not pleasant and can be uncomfortable or difficult for many reasons, the majority of women do not have a bad experience. When women do have bad experiences, it is sometimes a combination of several factors instead of just one thing, these reasons can be very personal and varied.

While smear tests are not enjoyable, for many women they’re over in a few minutes and they can continue with their day, knowing that the job’s been ticked off. 

However, for other women, going for their smear test is not as simple.

For a lot of people, it’s a five minute appointment that may be slightly uncomfortable and embarrassing, but is over and done with quickly. But for others, smear tests aren’t just uncomfortable – they hurt and some women find them extremely painful.

As part of our new blog series "Let's talk about it" Louise Cadman, Research Nurse Consultant at Queen Mary University of London and on the Management Committee of the My Body Back Project, addresses some of the issues around having a smear test after experiencing sexual violence (***Trigger warning: this blog is about sexual violence***).

Today the NHS in Scotland has announced that it will be introducing HPV testing as the primary method for cervical screening from 2019, but what does this actually mean and how will it save lives?

As a charity we are focused on the day that no woman dies from cervical cancer. We know that day can come and we want to get there as soon as we can, so that no woman has to face a life threatening cervical diagnosis, no woman has to endure invasive treatment, no woman has to suffer from the long term physical and psychological effects of treatment. 

While we work towards this day, we know that many woman are not receiving the support, information and care that they need. This is not acceptable.

It's just a week to go until our very first Roadshow begins, find out what it's all about from our latest blog by Claire Cohen. 

The number of people talking publicly about smear tests in the last week has quite literally blown us away.

Our motivation and drive this year is stronger than ever. Why? Because we are seeing fewer and fewer women across the UK attending cervical screening (smear tests)...