#Dontfearthesmear
One in three women under 30 skip the smear test, mainly because of embarrassment and fear, and perhaps, for some, the first time youâve had any kind of intimate examination. But you shouldnât be worried. Take it from me, Iâm not shy or squeamish about it, so you donât have to be. Even my most terrified patients turn to me at the end and say, âOh, it really wasnât that badâ. So, you can do it!
The reason? Itâs so important. Commonly misunderstood as âthe cervical cancer testâ, itâs not actually a test for cervical cancer. In fact, itâs the number one way of preventing the disease. It aims to detect milder, non-cancerous abnormalities that can be treated before they turn into anything nasty.
You need to go every three years from the age of 25 and testing more often or from an earlier age doesnât offer you any more protection against the disease. There is now a highly effective vaccine against HPV, which is the virus that causes cervical cancer, but even if youâve had the jab you still need to go for your smear test.
Contraception: more than just the pill
When it comes to contraception, you donât want to mess around getting bad advice from online influencers and other unqualified folk. The biggest side effect of bad contraceptive advice is an unplanned pregnancy. Most GP surgeries have âwell woman clinicsâ where highly experienced doctors and nurses can talk you through the options. Along with the Pill, there are reliable non-hormonal options out there too. The same service is available at most sexual health clinics, which are not just for STI testing.
Sexual health screening: yes, itâs for everyone
And while weâre on the topic, when was your last STI screen? If youâve never been tested, you canât confidently say that youâve never had an infection, because most people donât have any symptoms. With drop-in sessions available, you donât even have to make an appointment and a brilliant online service called SH:24 can even send you a self-test kit through the post. Remember that anyone can have an STI and, as I always tell my patients, âalthough s/he looked clean, you still need to screenâŚâ.
Vaginal discharge: get to know it
As one of the most common âOh, by the way doctorâŚâ questions dropped in at the end of a consultation, vaginal discharge causes so much anguish. Itâs completely normal to have discharge, but you need to learn whatâs normal for you.
It changes throughout the cycle, from low levels at the start immediately after your period, to a thicker and then creamier in consistency with a white-yellowish colour around the midway point in your cycle, to thin and watery, and then stretchy with an egg-white consistency around ovulation.
But if itâs funny smelling, associated with abdominal pain, blood-stained, itchy or irritating you need to call your GP. We might feel awkward discussing it with our friends but thatâs what your doctor is there for. There are plenty of harmless and treatable reasons that can be sorted out without spending hours terrifying yourself with Dr Google.
Top tips for a vagina-related visit
1. You donât need to wax/pluck/shave. It wonât get in the way and a bit of hair isnât going to scare me after all the gory things Iâve seen in my time.
2. Learn the lingo. Itâs even harder to talk about something if you donât know the right name for your bits. âVulvaâ refers to everything on the outside, âvaginaâ is the tube on the inside.
3. Know your cycle. I love it when people get their period tracking app out to tell me when their last period was. Weâll usually ask, so to prevent getting flustered itâs helpful to start tracking it, and have it handy during a consultation.
Words by Dr Anita Mitra