home smear test is here!

[what..the?]

For any ladies out there who are nervous about having a smear, and refuse to go this may be your answer costly roughly £30 including delivery.

http://www.tampap.com/content/home

Feel free to leave your views but if the pro-NHS-smear people could not have 'a go' at the nervous non-NHS-smear people that would be good as that's what they get all the time, nag nag nag, they understand the risks, and they might not read the post or comment if people start on them, thank you.

Let be supportive and live long and prosper xxx

[tenrec]

Thanks for drawing my attention to this.

[chaptazbru]

It says you should still regulalry have a smear test though - a few too many tests for me that !

[mccfluff]

intersting mine is due, think i'm too much of a skinflint to pay

on the other hand, its face the b*tch of a nurse at the health centre

[Mosaic]

This is really good news and as with all new stuff, give it a year or so and boots will be doing their own at a reasonable price.
I'm all for taking control of your own....well y'know what I mean.

[China Doll]

I wouldn't want to do it myself. I assume there's some sort of training involved and I would rather someone who was trained to do it properly did it. No point in doing something if I'm not doing it properly.

[Kiki-frog]

This makes me wince just thinking about it. Definitely want a nurse doing this.

[rockyracoon]

I've got a tilted cervix so smears for me are always a bit painful, so no, I wouldn't do this at home, I might do it wrong and get an incorrect result.

[what..the?]

Those that don't want to know details look away now.

For those who say that this home test is looks difficult or scary, basically its just insert a tampon for 5 mins and then post it off and get results 10-14 days later.

[rockyracoon]

Surely you have to make sure the tampon thingy touches your cervix, or am I being thick?

[ethandron]

Its not the same as the cervical smear test though, it only tests to see of you have the papilloma virus. It won't detect any abnormal cells like a smear test will.
I suppose it has it's uses but personally I wouldn't buy one, I'd rather take my chances with the nurse at the surgery doing a proper smear test.

[daffy654]

This isn't a proper smear test, it only tests for the presence of the HPV virus, it does not detect changes in the cervix itself. Waste of money in my opinion.

[rockyracoon]

There's not much point to it then really, it's just preying on peoples fears.

[lcg]

a daft idea....to be done correctly, you do need a medical professional to carry out a smear test and have it examined properly in a lab too. i had one at 22 which saved my life as it showed cancerous cells. this is misleading and dangerous, imho as it won't show cancerous cells - giving some women a false sense of safety and health. go to your gp/gum clinic and get one for free!

[Sqad]

Take it easy girls.

If the test is negative for HPV then there are unlikely to be cervical changes and even IF there are, with a negative test for HPV, these changes, if they existed would all revert back to normal without treatment.

I think that it is a good idea.

[cathfromsaron]

if it prevents further illnesses and catches the busy or shy women, then all the better, i say!

[daffy654]

I know I have been exposed to the HPV virus, I had abnormal smears many years ago and had a colposcopy. This test would be a waste of money for me as I know I have had the exposure.

I haven't had a smear test for a very long time and have no intention of ever having another. I have a 75% chance of being dead within the next 4 years anyway so I don't see the point :)

[tonyav]

HPV virus ?

[Maydup]

Fantastic discussion, I'll join in when I get home from work and have time to read the link. Something to occupy me during the football match!

[Sqad]

tony....Human Papilloma Virus.........many types, but some types are known to increase greatly the development of cancer of the cervix.

[tonyav]

Thanks sqad, but I have no idea what this virus is or what affect it has, does it only affect women ?