Cervical smear tests

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Hi i would like to enquire if anyone has had trouble having smear tests with a uterine prolapse i find it really embaressing some of the nurses have never seen a prolapse befoe.they dont seem to realise you dont need a speculum to do the smear they say they have trouble getting a sample because of dryness.hope to hear if anyone had this problem

Hi Trumper

I don't think it is quite as simple as that.

They don't need a speculum if the cervix is right there in their face, but prolapse doesn't always present like this. I recently had a PAP smear and the doctor had a lot of difficulty finding my cervix because it was quite high that day, and being post-menopause it doesn't stick out into the vagina like it used to. She said I had a small cystocele but that was all. Little did she know that I had significant bladder and uterine prolapse and a rectocele only a few years ago!

Anyway the test came back as having some abnormal cells, which basically means that she couldn't collect enough cells to assess it, or something like that. She wants me to have another smear in 12 months and use vaginal oestrogen for a month beforehand, so they can make the cells proliferate enough to get a good sample. I am not too keen on this idea so I will probably use the oestrogen for a few days instead of a month beforehand and hope it is enough. The doctor did say that this was normal with a menopausal cervix and that the result is nothing to worry about.

Louise

HI Trumper,
I had a smear test whilst going through the menopause and having a uterine prolapse which wasn't at that point symptomatic. The nurse was able to use a speculum and although I said my cervix was low she didn't amke any comment. At the time I wasn't sure whether she didn't know anything about this condition or just wasn't interested. Back then I knew nothing about prolapses. It seems almost incredulous now, but I didn't realise a low down cervix (Ididn't even know it was called a uterine or cervical prolaspe) could cause real problems if not treated properly. Later that year I became very symptomatic and the whole issue of uterine prolapse dominated my life for a few months. On reflection I think situations like smear tests are an ideal time and place for prolapses to be diagnosed and women to be treated as soon as possible. Of course, it is at this point that women need Whole Women intervention. I have a vision of women in the future being referred on to Whole Woman for further support, information and treatment.
Meantime - good luck and best wishes,
wholewomanuk

That's a good point, WholewomanUK. When a woman has her first (or subsequent) smear is a very opportune time for her to find out if she is starting to develop POP, and begin living a lifestyle that I am sure will at worst slow the prolapse progress, or at best, arrest it, until the inevitable processes of ageing cause the pelvic organs to settle lower than when she is young.

Wouldn't it be great if women could receive Wholewoman information at that time, as part of that same consultation? Not sure about the USA, but in Australia PAP smears are done by family doctors (not Gyn specialists), and the way things are moving, nurse practitioners will be doing a lot more routine procedures than doctors in the future.

Louise