Third of Leeds Women Putting off Smear Tests
Women in Leeds are putting their lives at risk by falling behind with their smear test appointments.
New research reveals a third of women here are putting off cervical cancer screenings by at least a year.
The survey by GynaeCheck found 75 per cent have been put off by bad experiences in the past, and 50 per cent have struggled to get a GP appointment.
Sarah Donaghey from Leeds was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease at the age of 25, and is now unable to carry children.
“I had a clear smear when I had my first one, but then I got symptoms throughout the next year,” Sarah says.
“So I went back to the doctors and after five times of going, I got diagnosed with cervical cancer.
“I had to have a hysterectomy so it wouldn’t spread into my lymph nodes. I’ve now got lymphedema in my left leg which causes it to swell up and I have to have bandage therapy. It’s a life-long chronic illness I’ll have now due to this. It’s quite upsetting but it’s a good thing that I’m here I suppose.”
According to the research out today, 80 per cent of women in the UK are put off going for a smear test because they it painful and uncomfortable. But figures show that just under 3,000 women die from cervical cancer every year.
Wetherby mum Jenny Croston found a mass on her cervix and was quickly diagnosed with cancer. She’d missed her last smear test. Jenny told Radio Aire “I can only put that down to me being too busy or feeling well and thinking the results will be negative. But had I attended that smear I pretty much sure the cancer would have been caught at a much earlier age.”
Jenny is now in remission but she is encouraging other women to keep up-to-date: “After having treatment for cervical cancer is absolutely nothing compared to what you have to go through if you do miss a smear and subsequently do end up being diagnosed with cervical cancer itself.”
You can listen to our report here