- All women aged 25 to 64 are invited by letter to cervical screening to check the health of their cervix.
- Everyone with a cervix should go for cervical screening.
- The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina.
- It’s not a test for cancer, it’s a test to help prevent cancer.
- During the screening appointment, a small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix.
- Finding abnormal changes early means they can be monitored or treated so they do not get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
- You’ll get your results by letter, usually in about 2 weeks.
When cervical screening is not recommended
If you’re under 25
You will not be invited for cervical screening until you’re 25 because:
- cervical cancer is very rare in people under 25
- it might lead to having treatment you do not need – abnormal cell changes often go back to normal in younger women
If you’re 65 or older
You’ll usually stop being invited for screening once you turn 65. This is because it’s very unlikely that you’ll get cervical cancer.
You’ll only be invited again if a recent test was abnormal.
If you’re 65 or older and have never been for cervical screening, or have not had cervical screening since the age of 50, you can ask your GP for a test.
If you have had a total Hysterectomy
You will not need to go for cervical screening if you’ve had a total hysterectomy to remove all of your womb and cervix.
You should not receive any more screening invitation letters.
Please see below for more information on cervical screening:
Cervical Screening Information – English
Cervical Screening Information – Arabic
Cervical Screening Information – Bengali
Cervical Screening Information – Chinese Simplified – Chinese Traditional
Cervical Screening Information – French
Cervical Screening Information – Gujarati
Cervical Screening Information – Hindi
Cervical Screening Information – Polish
Cervical Screening Information – Punjabi
Cervical Screening Information – Urdu
