Hello there and thanks for posting

I am sorry to hear about your recent abnormal cervical screening result and appreciate how this must have come as a shock to you after previous normal results.

The screening programme is designed to pick up abnormality at an early stage where it can be monitored or treated until everything returns to normal to prevent abnormal cells turning into cancer.

Up until a few years ago the screening programme sent all samples to cytology to check for abnormal cells under a microscope, it is only in recent years that primary hpv testing has been introduced.

The human papilloma virus has always been around and there are hundreds of different strains of hpv. Some of these strains are considered high risk that are now known to be responsible for the majority of abnormal cells to develop in the cervix, which is why hpv is now checked for in cervical screening.

High risk strains of hpv are passed through intimate skin to skin contact and the majority of sexually active people will come in contact with it at some point in their life and sometimes more than once. Whilst most people will clear it within a couple of years through the bodies in built immune system sometimes it can persist ( be ongoing) and smoking can delay it clearing and then for others it can clear the infection for it to then go to sleep ( lay dormant) and then reactivate years later. This makes it difficult to know when and where you may have picked it up from or how long you may have had it as it wouldn't have be checked for previously.

Once hpv is picked up in screening they also check the sample for abnormal cells in cytology, and any abnormality found will be looked more closely in colposcopy, as in your case. There is more information about colposcopy and abnormal cells here and here.

If women are older or have found having a cervical screening uncomfortable or difficult then using an oestrogen pessary for 2 weeks and then stopping for 5 days prior to colposcopy may help make the procedure easier. Do talk to your doctor or the colposcopy unit about this if you are unsure or worried about doing this.

I hope this is helpful but please get back if you need to or have more questions,

All the best

Naomi