But I Smile Anyway…

Scary Stats (source http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/statistics.html) * in 2012-13 4.24 million women in the UK were invited to go for cervical screening * in 2012-13 only 3.32 million women were tested * currently only 78.3% of eligible women have been screened at least once in 5 years

I don’t tend to share a lot of personal information, but I feel that it is important that I share my story. I am hearing so many women say they are putting off having smear tests because it is painful, embarrassing or they don’t have time. YES it might be all of those things, but it is a routine test for a reason. A smear test is, in the UK at least, free to the majority of women. Those that aren’t eligible is a whole other blog I will do at some point. But the most important fact is this…..

FACT: A SMEAR TEST COULD…

WARNING!!! If you don’t like anything gross please look away now!!!!

Are you sitting comfortably? If you are eating you may want to come back to this later.

Once upon a time there was a 20-something female, we will call her Delilah. She was dating a lovely man called Jim and they had been seeing eachother for nearly 4 months and were very much in love. Jim shared a house with an old friend from school who, for reasons unbeknown to either of them, didn’t seem to like Delilah very much. The housemate, known only as Steve just in case he ever reads this, owned the house and was very particular about things being his way.

Delilah often stayed over at Jim’s house, and so after a few weeks of sleeping over approximately 2 nights a week, she asked Jim if she could leave a toothbrush in the bathroom for…