Cervical cancer screening and prevention

Receiving your results

We will contact you (by your preferred method), usually within 2 weeks of the procedure. The results you receive will be described as either:

• Normal / negative
• Unclear / insufficient / inadequate – meaning that the cells could not be viewed and we will need to take another sample in 3 months’ time
• Abnormal / irregular – meaning that changes have been observed, either mild, moderate or severe

If your results are irregular or abnormal

Please don’t be frightened. Any change in the cells of the cervix usually happens very slowly, and may be cleared by the body’s immune system. Slight abnormalities are very common in women under 25. Abnormal cells are not cancerous, but could be an early warning sign which we need to keep an eye on.

We’ll send a full explanation of what the test results show and advise you on what to do next.

If your results show cell changes we may recommend that you have another smear test after a period of time, or suggest that you make an appointment for further investigation. Further investigation, such as a colposcopy, depends on the type of abnormality seen.