Cervical screening

All women aged between 25 and 64 are invited for cervical screening. Women aged between 25 and 49 are invited for testing every three years, and women aged between 50 and 64 are invited every five years.

Being screened regularly means that any abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix can be identified at an early stage and, if necessary, treated to stop cancer developing.

More information can be found here.

Why don’t people under 25 have a smear?

We frequently get asked this, which is a very reasonable question, especially as there are occasionally high profile and tragic deaths from cervical cancer in women under 25 years of age.

However, there are good reasons for cervical smears not being done in women under 25.  In fact, it may cause more harm than good.

This leaflet explains more.

However, it is very important that If you have symptoms such as bleeding between periods or after sex you consult your GP straight away.