Bad experience with cervical smear?

Question

hi

im not sexually active but have had 2 smears in the past 7 yrs or so, was told to get one even though not sexually active.

my last one was 2004 so i went today to get one, after ive had excess discharge and some pain but i didnt get one, when i said i wasnt sexually active the nurse said you dont need to get one, when i said ive had 2 in the past just to be sure, she agreed to do one

i dont know why but it was real uncomfortable and sore, i tried like 4 times to get them to do it but she said i wasnt relaxed, cos it was b****** sore and uncomfortable! i was trying to hard to relax, even played music on my phone! breathed deep, i dont see why they couldnt just quickly swab the area, they got the cervical equipment in cos i felt it, but i dont see why they couldnt then just swab quickly, it went on and on and the worse it got.

the female doctor who was with her then tried and thats when it really hurt, i couldnt stand it, i was feeling really faint and told her to stop.

ive had it done twice before and it was fine, no way near as bad as that, the nurse just put the things in and swabbed yeah it was a bit uncomfortable but not as bad as today!

i dont know if the nurse was not as experienced or something they said they couldnt see the cervix area.

they did take a vaginal swab and urine sample which i insisted they took. i felt so embarassed.

so i will wait and see the results but i feel bad.

im so disappointed i really wanted to get it done for peace of mind but doctor said its in extremely rare cases that women who are not sexually active get cervical cancer, its caused by sexual contact and can develop ten years after contact.

Answer 1

If you're having some discharge, that could be an indicator of an infection.  And infections can sometimes cause irritation and/or swelling of the vaginal entrance, so the insertion of the speculum can be extremely uncomfortable or even downright painful.  

If you develop itching, odor or other symptoms of an infection, DO go back to your doctor and get treated as soon as you can.

And BTW, the medical board recommends that women start getting pelvic exams between the ages of 18 & 21 (depending on the doc/report) even with no sexual activity.  This is because even though MOST cases of cervical cancer are caused by an STD (HPV infection), 30% happen just because.

It's YOUR body, and it is YOUR responsibility to care for it.  You only get one!  Good for you for standing up for your medical and personal health rights.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I am sorry that was uncomfortable. I am sexually active ,married with children and it still hurts. I hope you don't feel all doctors are the same there not.  Good luck.

Answer 3

Many woman get so stressed about having a smear done that it is virtually impossible to insert the speculum. I am like this, I, involuntarily, used to tighten my mussels so much that the nurse had a lot of trouble. Her solution was always the same: she would warm the speculum under warm water and use plenty of KY. THen she would ask me to take a very deep breath and exhale and as I exhaled she would insert it. Once it's in it only takes a few secs to take a cell sample. It is very rare for women who have never been sexually active to get cervical cancer but those who have had s*x with a man or who have smoked are still at risk. Anyway, if there's a screening test available for any type of cancer - take it, this particular cancer is so treatable. If the nurse couldn't see your cervix I wonder if she was even a nurse, the v****a isn't that deep. Make another appointment, try again, ask for a different nurse or even the GP to take the sample. One thing I can say is never ever feel embarrassed about your body at a doctors. We all have one with all it's ugly little complications, even the nurse who does the test will have felt awkward at some time. Good luck

Answer 4

that happened to me once but it was because i had a bacterial infection and didnt even know it