Do I need a smear test if I'm not sexually active?

Protein found in my urine

Smear test in a virgin

Question
I have never had a smear test and I am not sexually active.

Do I need a smear and if so, what will happen?

Answer
You do not need a scervical smear test because you have not become sexually active.

Pre-cancerous changes and invasive cancer of the cervix are both caused by a combination of factors that are present in seminal fluid.

It has been known for many years that cervical cancer is extremely rare among nuns. The chance of it developing rises with the number of sexual partners a woman has, and the younger she is when she starts sexual activities.

Any woman can decrease her risk of developing cervical cancer by delaying sexual activity until she is older and then having a smear test once every three to five years.

The value of the smear test is to detect any pre-cancerous changes that precede cancer – by many years in most cases. The cervical smear test is a routine way of checking the health of the cervix. Cells are taken from the cervix and examined to see if they show any abnormal changes.

The test is relatively easy to perform, taking just a few minutes and should not be uncomfortable for the woman if carried out correctly. A sample of cells is taken from the surface of the cervix by gently wiping a specially shaped spatula over the area and then using a cottonball swab or small brush to collect cells from the canal of the cervix.

Once the cells have been collected they are put onto a glass slide. They are then sent for examination under the microscope – a process known as cytology. The cytologist looks at several features of the cells and then decides which category the cells belong in: either normal, pre-cancerous or inflammatory, or cancer.

If you are not sexually active, and have never been, you do not need a smear. Once you are, talk to the nurse at your surgery about how to book in for a smear. A smear test for most women is a sensible, reassuring and painless routine screening procedure.

Yours sincerely

The Medical Team

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