Interview 12

Age at interview: 28

Age at diagnosis: 26

Brief Outline: Two abnormal smears. Referred for colposcopy. Diagnosed with abnormal cervical cells (CIN3) 2000. Two treatments of diathermy loop excision given. Six month follow up smear showed abnormal cells. Referred for colposcopy. No treatment needed.

Background: Nanny; single, no children.

She felt terrified at learning that her abnormal cervical cells had progressed.

I was terrified, that was it, I actually thought that you know if I, sorry from the first time I had the smear too, I don't know whether it was that day that he told me that it had progressed from the first time that I went it had progressed to the next stage and that was in, within 4 or 5 months so that was scary to me. Because I was on the last stage the next stage was cancer, that's what he had told me so it was very scary.

Describes her feelings about the connection between abnormal cervical cells and HPV.

Yes it's an embarrassing thing again to think that you've caught it that way because people think of that, look down at that and think oh gosh you know that's been sexually transmitted you know you must be with all these people which is not the case. But obviously I'd had sex with a guy before my partner years and years ago and then when I eventually decided to go and have the pap smear which was years later it was there, so I presumed it was the partner that I was with and that it had been sitting there that long, it was just lucky that I went for the pap smear when I did.

Young women should overcome their embarrassment to have regular smear tests.

Yeah the reason why I had abnormal cells and they progressed is because I didn't go and have one and like a lot of girls they get very embarrassed and put it off when you don't realise how important it is that if you go. It's fast, it's quick and nothing to be embarrassed about, just do it and then if there is a problem then it gets fixed. Otherwise it will get worse and it is more scary.