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Cervical screening
NHS Cervical Screening Programme
What is cervical screening?
- Cervical screening is not a test for diagnosing cervical cancer. It is a test to check the health of the cervix (the lower part of the womb) often called the neck of the womb.
- For most women, the test results show that everything is normal.
- However, one in 20 women have results which show changes in cells of the cervix and these changes may need to be checked
- Most changes in the cervix will not lead to cervical cancer but will need to be checked.
Why do I need cervical screening?
Cervical cancer can often be prevented. The signs that it may develop can be spotted early so, in most cases, cancer can be stopped even before it gets started.
About 2,800 women develop cervical cancer each year. It causes approaching 1000 deaths each year in the UK and is the twelfth most common cancer in women of all ages.
Not going for cervical screening is one of the biggest risk factors for developing cervical cancer. Every woman who receives a letter inviting her for screening should either go for their screening test or arrange to discuss it with a practice nurse. Every woman should make sure that she does something about her invitation and not just ignore it. The test is a potential life saver.
Should all women have the test?
Women aged 25-49 are invited for free cervical screening every three years and women aged 50-64 every five years. Women over 65 are invited if their previous three tests were not clear or if they have never been screened. Every woman should discuss her needs with the surgery whether or not they are in a relationship.
Any abnormal bleeding or difficulties should be investigated. Women reporting bleeding after having sex or bleeding between monthly periods should speak to a Practice Nurse to identify and treat the cause of the bleeding.
How quickly will I receive my results?
The results of every test in the NHS Norfolk area shouldl be returned within two weeks. In many cases, patients have had their results in just seven days.
