• All women aged 25 to 64 are invited for cervical screening every 5 years to check the health of their cervix, which is the opening to your womb from your vagina. Cervical screening used to be called a smear test.

• It's not a test for cervical cancer; it's a test to help prevent cervical cancer.

• Everyone with a cervix should go for cervical screening.

• If you're a trans man or non-binary and have a cervix, you can speak to your GP, sexual health clinic or transgender health clinic about getting invitations routinely.

• During the screening appointment, a small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix with a soft brush.

• The sample is checked for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix. These are called high risk types of HPV.

• If these types of HPV are not found, you do not need any further tests and will be routinely invited for your next screen at the recommended time.

• If these types of HPV are found, the sample is checked for any changes in the cells of your cervix. These can be treated to help prevent cervical cancer.

• The healthcare professional will tell you when you can expect your results.

Find out more information here 

All invitations for cervical screening are now being sent via the NHS App in the first instance, so please turn your notifications on. For those who don’t have the NHS App or do not respond, they will receive invitations either via text or by post.

Cervical screening is done to help find high-risk HPV and any abnormal cells before symptoms develop. Screening picks up early cell changes before they can turn into cancer, allowing any treatment required to begin as soon as possible.

Though many people who develop cervical cancer have no symptoms, there are some key symptoms to look out for. These include:

·      Bleeding between periods, after sex or after the menopause

·      Lower back or tummy pain

·      Pain or discomfort during sex

·      Changes in vaginal discharge

If you notice any of these contact your GP practice.

You can request a female nurse or doctor to do your cervical screening.

You can take a friend with you for support, or you can ask your practice to provide a chaperone, regardless of whether it is a male or female doing your screen. A chaperone is somebody who is in the room during the procedure to help put you at ease and make you more comfortable.

When booking your appointment, please let the receptionist at your GP practice know if you would prefer a female nurse or doctor or would like a chaperone.

It's advisable not to have your screening done during your period, as a heavy flow can affect the accuracy of the test.

However, many people have irregular periods, for instance if they have polycystic ovary syndrome, fibroids, or are perimenopausal, and not everyone can predict when their period will start.

In that case it's best to discuss this when booking your appointment.

No, they wouldn’t have done. It is recommended to wait 12 weeks after having a baby to do the test.

If you have a cervix and have had any kind of sexual contact, with a man or a woman, you could get cervical cancer. This is because nearly all cervical cancers are caused by infection with high risk types of HPV.

You're still at risk of cervical cancer if:

• you've had the HPV vaccine – it does not protect you from all types of HPV, so you're still at risk of cervical cancer

• you've only had 1 sexual partner – you can get HPV the first time you're sexually active

• you've had the same partner or not had sex for a long time – you can have HPV for a long time without knowing it

• you're a lesbian or bisexual – you're at risk if you've had any sexual contact

• you're a trans man with a cervix

• you've had a partial hysterectomy that did not remove all of your cervix

If you're not sure whether to have cervical screening, talk to your GP or nurse.

This can happen in people with conditions such as vaginismus, vulval lichen sclerosis, or certain types of endometriosis. It can also happen in people

who are menopausal or have vaginal atrophy.

There are many options to make having a cervical screen more comfortable. It would be a good idea to make an appointment and discuss these with a doctor or a nurse. This allows time for you to discuss your concerns and, together with the doctor or nurse, decide on the most suitable approach for you. More advice can be found here: Tips for cervical screening - The Eve Appeal

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of over 200 related viruses. It’s extremely common, with around 7 in 10 people getting infected at some stage in their lives.

HPV is usually, but not always, passed on through skin-to-skin sexual activity. Certain types of the HPV virus, called high risk HPV, can cause cervical cell changes that can lead to certain types of cancer, including cervical cancer. The cervical screening test looks for signs of high risk HPV.

If your final three screening tests in the 15 years running up to turning 65 have been a negative result, then you will not receive any further invitations after this age.

If you have had an abnormal screening result in that time, you will continue to be invited until you either have three tests showing no abnormal cells or have a clear (negative) HPV test.

However, it is very important to contact your GP practice if you experience symptoms such as bleeding from the vagina, pain or bleeding after sexual intercourse, lower back or tummy pain, or a vaginal discharge that has an orange or a pink hue to it.