My First Smear

OK, so this is a bit of a weird one I guess... But that's only because we don't really talk about it!

So as you've probably guessed from the title - I had my first smear test recently, a month ago to be exact!
I was one of those MANY people that just ignored my reminder letters, tucked them away somewhere safe and eventually 'forgot' about them. But the thing is, no matter how much you ignore them, its still in the back of your mind, knowing how important it is to book an appointment! Also we are so lucky to be able to have these free tests available to us!

Anyway, for me turning 28 years old a couple of months ago and never having a smear test, enough was enough and I managed to pluck the courage to phone up my GP surgery and book an appointment. I felt proud of myself for actually booking it but then the anxiety of the actual test kicked in - 'its going to be so embarrassing!', 'do I need to shave?!', 'will it be a female nurse?', 'how long will it take?' etc etc (you get my drift). This is what went through my mind during the two weeks leading up to it. In fact there were numerous occasions where I considered cancelling it! (I'm glad that I didn't!).

After spending pretty much all of Sunday thinking about it, before I knew it, it was Monday and the dreaded day of my test. Luckily my appointment was early in the morning so I could get it done and out of the way! After sitting in the waiting room for 10 minutes (which felt like forever!) I was called in by a nurse. She asked me to sit down and answer a few questions regarding my periods and contraception and then she explained the process of the test to me. Then once that was done, it was time! She took me over to the bed and asked me to undress from my waist down (little tip here girls - wear a loose dress or skirt! You don't feel so on 'show') and to then lie down on the bed with my knees up, feet together and to flop my knees to the side (so ladylike!). She then quickly showed me the speculum, rinsed it under the warm tap and put it in place so she could get to my cervix. This didn't hurt at all, it just felt like there was pressure on my lower stomach. Then she quickly used the rubber brush swab to take a sample of cells from my cervix (honestly, this lasted about 10 seconds!) which was a little uncomfortable/stingy and felt slightly strange and once that was done she removed the speculum and voila, it was over!

Afterwards I did experience a little bleeding throughout the day and had some mild period cramps but was told that it was completely normal. And that was it! All of that worrying and ignoring my letters for years for something that lasted less than 2 minutes! Honestly it was so quick, its a mere vacant memory now! Also it wasn't embarrassing, lets be honest, is that nurse going to remember my vagina?! No! Did she care whether I had shaved or not? No!

If your'e reading this and have been putting it off, I urge you to book yourself an appointment and get it done! Trust me, its nothing to worry about! BOOK YOUR SMEAR!

Oh and I got my results back after a week and a half of having my test and my results came back normal meaning I don't need another test for 3 years. It feels 10 times better having my results in my hand rather than having another reminder letter! ♥