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I will be really honest and say i have never booked myself in to get one. I have been meaning to for a few years but i always forget :redface:
I am guessing that its necessary to have one now that im pregnant. Will the doctor or midwife think bad of me for not having one??
I checked with my obs and GP and they said to have it done after pg finished - I was due for one about 3 months preg. Mainly due I think from memory is that a pap smear checks cells in the cervix so they don't like to do them while pg. Maybe ask them to write it on your notes to have one at your (post birth) 6 week check up, that's what I did.
I've not had one for a while either, mainly because I've had so much surgery and investigations done "down there" that I just..... forgot.
My GP and FS told me that it's ok to wait until baby is born, and I should get one at my 6 week check up.
S X
i was due a smear just before i was pg (hadn't received the reminder when i got BFP) - had it done at 8 week post partum appt instead
I was always too embarrassed to have one. Didn't get around to it til my 6 week check up either
:redface: That was after DD2...thats the only one I've had :redface:
I'm having a few probs at the moment, so when I finally get myself to the docs I'm sure thats the first thing they'll do.
Don't beat yourself up too much - I had my first at 20, then 22 and then nothing until 29 about a month before I fell pregnant with this baby.
Can I suggest waiting until bubs is born and if possible, go about 6 months afterwards?
I know a lot of women get them done at their 6 week PP checkup, but because the cells and cervix are still settling down at that point, it can lead to false results - and greater stress than necessary.
Chat with your Dr and see what they say :hug:
You wont be able to get one when you are pregnant as the cervix is closed and they wont get all the cells they need to collect.
I had one at my 6wk checkup after having DD. I figued they were looking there anywhere. I have to go again in a month as theey didnt do it properly :doh:
It is important to get done even though you may feel embarrassed. Doctors have seen it all before and if you are with a doctor you trust, they will make you feel as comfortable as possible.
My little sister is 21. She had her first one at 20 after I told her she really should get one and it turned out she had that HPV and had to have surgery to remove cells that could have turned cancerous. I am pretty sure that they told her that because she has had this, it now reduces her fertility. :(
Don't stress too much hun...I got one done at my 6 week check up, I would probably suggest leaving it for a bit longer after that though as it hurt almost as much as the birth! Lol
They don't usually do it while you are pregnant and offer/ask at your 6/8wk post natal check.
I wouldn't be embarassed about it, as in not having them done. My OB was telling me she has two patients who have to have a general anaesthetic to have them done.
I have had them done since I was 18yrs old and every 2yrs. It's one of those things before kids you really have to make yourself go, after kids it doesn't seem so bad :lol:
I had one done only a couple of weeks before I conceived my now 2mth old and the Dr routinely did a chlamydia swab as well as he explained a lot of women had it without realising as they didn't have any symptoms. Apparently this is quite common these days.
As Mummato2 said..talk to your OB, GP or MW next time you see them.
no they won't think bad of you. I actually had one done before I found out I was preg with the Little Guy.
I know they're not pleasant...(understatement there...),but just a friendly reminder that they are sooo important - i have had 2 girlfriends in the past not have them done, and when they do they unfortuantely receive bad news....:rolleyes:...call me an ole nag, but please, if you havent had one/due for one get it done....*warning, cliche here* it could save your life......:p
Dp has been on my case about it for months. Whenever an ad or someone mentioned it he would slap my knee and say i have to get one. I just feel awkward having someone 'down there' but i guess after the baby i shouldn't be so shy :lol:
Nope, having a baby will definately cure you of that!:
I think it's fairly standard to have one at your 6-week post-partum checkup.
You are only 21 so don't get too worried about it! Most dr's suggest you get one when you become sexually active. I haven't heard of dr's giving pregnant woman a pap smear, it has never been a question that I've been asked when pregnant. It's nothing to worry about, dr's are used to doing them and after years of med school it will just be another pap smear, if you would feel more comfortable going to a dr that does them every day rather than a GP find a gynecologist.
I actually have to disagree with that statement that you're only 21 so don't worry. I'm 19 and I've had 4 pap smears in as many years. First one I had when I became sexually active (which is what is recommended) at 16. Second after I broke up with my (cheating) bf at 17. Third just before I was pg for the first time when I was 18 (last year) and then my last was after my second m/c. Abnormal results were found at the 3rd and 4th ones. Nothing serious, but still worth being checked out. It is a common misconception that if you are young you shouldn't worry. I was (am) young AND had only had a few sexual partners, never had an STI, and still had some abnormal cells. So I would follow everyone elses advice on getting one after you have bub. Xx
I have had both pap smears done while pregnant usually between 6 and 8 weeks?? Surely my OB would have said if you cant?
Its not that i thought im young it wont happen to me. A girl i went to school with her mum got cervical cancer at 30. Just life got in the way, but i have had only one sexual partner but if i had of changed partners i would have had one as well as made the new guy get a test to make sure he doesnt have anything.
After the baby is born i will definitely get on track with making sure i have one every couple of years.
I had my first ever pap smear when I was early PG with DD1 (I was 16) and got abnormal results back.
Cervical cancer has such a good success rate when caught early.
Please go & get it done at your 6 week check at least - a bit of embarrassment is nothing when it could mean your life ....
:hug:
ETA - I had only had one partner when I had my first smear too ;)
I think this is a great point to make.:
Without getting too personal, I have only ever had 2 sexual partners. One was my dirty cheating ex and my now DH.
Cervical cancer is predominately due to a HPV strain and despite your sexual history, your partners or exes could have been with someone who exposed them to HPV.
Bottom line is if you've ever been sexually active, you have just as much chance as being exposed having one or two partners than someone who has had a lot more
Yep, just wait till after bub arrives and then get started on taking care of your reproductive health :) I don't think I'd ever had a pap smear before having one after DD1 was born (or maybe I'd had one, I can't remember). In all seriousness though, once you've had a baby you'll pretty much be cured of any sense of ickiness resulting from a nurse prodding around down there, it takes less than one minute and you're done! :)
no GP will ever look down on you for coming in for a pap smear! they will just be happy that you are getting one done.
i have had pap smears when pregnant too, so you might still be able to get one done now...(i had my last one done 2 weeks ago...so 6ish weeks UTD...was the same when i was pg with DD).
they are quick and offer incredible peace of mind, and once you have had your first, you get sent a reminder letter when your next one is due.
Thanks you have made me feel so much better. '
I have heard they hurt and can be uncomfortable so its why i have been so forgetful but im sure after having a baby nothing will ever compare lol
^ Oh sweetie, I hope not!! In my experience they've been, well, while not exactly 'comfortable', I've never experienced pain/discomfort and it's all been over in less than two minutes from start to finish so nothing to worry about... I think my trick is going to the GP for it because I get along wonderfully with the nurse who performs the pap smear - we get chatting when I walk in to see her and I hardly notice as she goes about her business because we're yacking away :) If you can find a doctor/nurse that you're comfortable with, it will be much easier on you. Good luck :)
i have some questions... sorry it is kinda off topic but if Cervical cancer is a Sexually transmitted infection does this mean if you never have sex you dont need to have a pam smear?
and if you only have one sexual partner and you could fully know 100% that he has only ever been with you is it still possible to get cervical cancer?
I didnt have my first one until I was 27 :redface: I was petrified to be honest because my sister had cervical cancer and ended up having a hysto at 27. My Oma also died from cervical cancer in her 30's so I made myself go and totally shiat myself as I had abnormal cells.
As embarrassing as it is, its better then having cancer and loosing everything.
*maz mumbles about the stupid duck bill, shoe horn YUCK!!!!*
No, that's definitely untrue. HPV (human papilloma virus) is only responsible for (off the top of my head so don't quote me and someone please correct me if I'm way off) 40-something percent of cervical cancers, so pap smears are still DEFINITELY necessary no matter what your sexual history is because you can develop cancer of the cervix without having ever been exposed to HPV (which yes, some strains of it are sexually transmitted).:
I also hear that certain strains of HPV (although these may not be the ones linked with causing cervical cancer) can be present at birth/from childhood and not cause any symptoms. I'm not sure if this is true, or if it is, whether the virus can be transmitted from one person to another (so again, if anybody knows anything about that please jump in!), but if it is true and it can be transmitted, your partner may not have ever been exposed (through sexual contact with someone else) to HPV and still have it, kwim?
Either way, the first thing is true (about cervical cancer NOT being caused JUST by HPV), so you definitely, definitely need to get pap smears from your late teens onwards regardless of whether you've had sex or not, or had multiple partners or not (or whether your partner has had multiple partners or not). :) HTH!
I was speaking to a women's health nurse a while back and she told me that pap smears should definaely not be done at 6 week check ups and that 12 weeks is better.
Thanks heaps!!! that does help alot! there are a few missconceptions out there about this kinda stuff!:
in my experience pap smears dont hurt. they can be uncomfortable...BUT i found this only was when i was nervous and tense. the best is to take a deep breathe and exhale as you lie on the bed and just think about relaxing the abdomen. i have found then that it doesnt even feel too uncomfortable!