The Importance Of Being Scraped

Posted on by Accidental Spacegirl

Smear

Every woman dreads it, but every woman needs it. And women shouldn’t be afraid to have this procedure done.

I was supposed to have mine last year, but my broken hip meant that I was unable to do so.

Well, I finally managed to get it done today. These days my hip is slightly more mobile, and so I was able to bend it at just the right angle (although Dom came in with me in case he needed to help me get it where it needed to be). I’m still not out of the woods with the hip yet, but I can partially function provided I don’t overdo things. Goddess please grant me whichever operation I need to fix me soon!

Anyway, I digress. I’m trying to talk about something really important here. Cervical cancer is the silent killer that often doesn’t get noticed until it’s too late. I’ve had precancerous cells in the past, but I had a healthy immune system back then, and my body destroyed them. I had to have yearly smear tests to monitor what was happening, but they died. I was lucky; many other women aren’t.

I know that the speculum might look threatening – even the plastic version – but it really isn’t that bad. The plastic speculum isn’t cold, and it doesn’t feel as though you’re being reamed out by a spiky cactus, or being vaginally invaded by Godzilla, or something.

Once the speculum is in, it’s really just a little scratch, and then you put your clothes back on. Yes, you bleed a little – but you just had your cervix scraped so what else would you expect? Better to bleed than die of cervical cancer, right?

I’m aware that many women are scared of the procedure – my own sister included – but please, think about it. What’s a short, sharp moment of discomfort compared to dying? Personally, I’ll get my cervix scraped any day of the week if it means that any cervical cancer can be swiftly dealt with.

To all you ladies out there: please get that test regularly. It might save your life.

2 thoughts on “The Importance Of Being Scraped”

  1. It also should be possible to ask to insert the speculum yourself, although the medical professional doing the procedure will need to fiddle with it.

    The person carrying out the test should also be 100% understanding of any worries a woman has about the procedure, whatever the cause of the worry. It’s not about being concerned about “having your bits on show”, but more about the feeling of not being in control of the situation that makes the whole idea super uncomfortable for many women, especially if they’ve experienced sexual abuse/assault/rape.

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    1. I’m a rape survivor who was treated abominably by a male GP when it came to my smear not long afterwards. I still wasn’t put off, but I refused to let him near me in that regard again.

      I’m very glad that you now get painless plastic instead of those ice cold metal speculums of days gone by.

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