All womenﾠbetween the ages of 25 and 64ﾠ are encouraged to have regular ﾠcervical screening tests to detect precancerous changes at the neck of the womb.
- Women should receive their first invitation for screening at 25.
- Women aged 25-49 are invited for screening everyﾠthree years.
- Women aged 50-64 are invited for screening everyﾠfive years.
- Women aged 65 or over are only screened if they have not been screened since they were 50 or have had recent abnormal test results.
You are invited to attend and see the practice nurse, please ring the appointment line to arrange an appointment.
If times/dates at the surgery are not suitable you may ring the Family Planning Clinic on 0161 426 5599 between 9:30 am – 12:30 pm Monday to Friday, they offer appointments early evenings at a number of different clinics in the local area.
A smear is a test to pick up very early changes in the cervix which could become cancer in the future.
However 90% of smears are normal.
Negative
Your smear test is normal. However, if you experience abnormal bleeding you should see a doctor
Inadequate
The smear is unsuitable for testing and therefore has to be repeated 3 months later.
Abnormal smears
Only a small percentage of smears are abnormal. This means that there are changes that if left untreated, may become cancer in the future.
Most of these changes return to normal without treatment being required. You are usually asked to return for a repeat smear test in 6-12 months. If treatment is needed it is almost 100% effective involving a minor procedure in the hospital outpatient department. You will be referred to the hospital for a colposcopy.
Results
Stockport Primary Care Trust will inform you of your results via the post to you home address approximately 6-8 weeks following you smear test.
We will also write to you if there is any problem with your smear result or if early review is required.
You can access more information regarding cervical screening testsﾠon the NHS Cervical Screening Programme website.