Hi Laura. 

I keep seeing replies from you on many posts. It's very reassuring.

I am 26, I have two children 9 and 5. My periods have always been weird due to being on the implant. But I think in December it lasted a few days longer than normal. Fast forward to this month, I had my period as normal. It lasted around 10 days which is normal, then 4 days later I started bleeding again and bled for a week. Classed as spotting as it was never enough to wear a pad or anything. I phone my GP, explained everything and she didn't seem too worried. She booked me in for my first smear (haven't had one due to Covid) and also said she'd take some swabs 'to be on the safe side' (don't know what they're for?) 

Since speaking to her I've noticed I have lower back pain in a morning which eases off throughout the day. I have groin pain pretty much constantly, it's just a dull ache and I also noticed I had stomach cramps the day after having sex. Te cramps were pretty painful. They eased off in the evening. 

I don't have any smelly discharge, no bleeding during or after sex, no bloating, I'm not off my food and I don't think I've noticed any changes in bowel movement either.. 

Just looking for some reassurance really. My smear is booked for 10th March but I'm ringing to ask if they can bring it forward. I'm due on on the 10th march and all this worry is really affecting me. 

Hi, sorry I didn't see your post until now! I hope you are doing well and you've found out what is going on. At your young age I wouldn't think your issues would be cancer related but it is always good to follow up and keep tabs on things.  Please message me if you need to. 

Laura xx

Hi Elma

I'm not sure if you will be told anything at your scans or will have to wait. These are not the types of scans used in a diagnosis of cervical cancer specifically so it would seem like your doctor wants you to have scans which will give a good look at the area in general to try to identify what the problem is. For the scans used in a cervical cancer diagnosis-ct, mri, petscan,you need to wait for results, but the scans you are having might be different in terms of what they are able to say at the time you have them. 

There are so many gynaecological issues which can affect us which are not cancer. Has a doctor mentioned cervical cancer, or is this something you have focused on from your symptoms? Your anxiety must be very debilitating, and it can manifest itself in lots of physical symptoms. xx

Hi Minska,

she didn't specifically say cervical cancer but was asking about my last smear and looking up when my next one is and asked me about history of cancers in my family, she said she was concerned but that the pain in my stomach could possibly be linked to scar tissue from my C-section but because of the other symptoms I have she wasn't sure so said she was booking me an urgent referral to look at my pelvic area, cervix and ovaries. 
 

Also this might be because I couldn't answer certain questions like whether I bleed after sex etc as I literally bleed 24/7 which is probably linked to my implant being put back in, sometimes I bleed so heavy with clots but then the next day can be a lot lighter. There's no real pattern or anything to it and the bleeding also makes it more difficult for me to tell what my discharge is now like as before I had the implant it was very watery and I was having to wear liners in my pants but I assumed that was just because I'd not long had a baby I didn't really think into it much at the time.

my anxiety is definitely deliberating, it's caused me so many false symptoms in the past but the pain im in at the moment is just ridiculous so I really doubt it is caused by my anxiety. Paracetamol and ibruprofen reduce the pain but it never fully goes xx

Hi Elma

You really must be exhausted by everything you’re going through right now-I really feel for you. 

The good thing is that your scans today might finally give you some answers, and the fact that it was an urgent referral doesn’t automatically mean a cancer diagnosis, it just means you are seen quicker than normal because your doctor cannot be sure what’s going on. I really hope that it’s something less sinister and you find out quickly so that you can get whatever treatment you need. xx

Hi thought I'd update, got to my appointment early and managed to get seen before my slot. Couldn't have the abdominal ultrasound as they said my bladder wasn't full enough which I seriously don't understand as I'd drank 1.5l of water and was dying for a wee! But they did the transvaginal scan, I asked at the end if there was any concerns she said everything looks okay on that and that I'd hear from my gp in a couple of days to discuss what they advise next so not really sure I just feel abit in limbo, obviously I know ultrasounds arnt normally used for cervical cancer so could it still be that? I just feel abit all over the place anxiety wise xx

Hi Elma

Gosh-I would have thought that would have been enough water for a full bladder! Good that nothing of concern has been seen so far though. 

I think the most appropriate thing would be for your gp to refer you to a gynaecologist for a pelvic examination, not a smear though as you are not scheduled for one currently and that’s not the most appropriate test. In the steps to diagnose or rule out cervical cancer, you need your cervix to be examined and go from there. But keep in mind it it may well be a much less sinister issue than cancer so try not to be fixated on that as an outcome at this point. xx

Hello everyone,

Long post alert! I'm new to this forum and I'm going through some scary stuff at the moment. I have just read this thread from start to finish - so many inspirational women on here and I already feel a bit better. 
My daughter, nine, was diagnosed with leukaemia in Jan 2020 just before the pandemic. She has been amazing and finishes her treatment next week. 
Last January I had a smear test which came back as HPV positive, but no abnormal cells found. Advised me to go back 12 months later. 
In July, I had some bleeding after sex. Never happened before, my cycle always regular and no bleeding between. Due to what my daughter has been going through, I was really concerned and went to my GP who was amazing. She examined me and said she could see a small cervical ectropian which bled quite easily. She sent me for an internal scan (which was fine) and put me on the two week pathway as I was so stressed and worried. I had a colposcopy, where I was told that they could see a small ectropian but not to worry and go back to my GP if I had further bleeding. 
Around that time, my periods went bezerk. I've never had heavy periods but suddenly I was getting huge amounts of blood loss and clots. For a couple of months my periods lasted for two weeks or so and were totally out of sync. I put this down to the covid jab as it was so out of character for me. I also started experiencing lots of watery discharge. I also went back to my GP and she referred me to a gynaecologist, who rang me just before Xmas to find out what was going on. I was then booked in for an endometrial biopsy in January. 
Whilst waiting for this I had my repeat annual smear done. Two weeks later I had my endometrial biopsy and the gynaecologist said my heavy bleeding etc was most likely due to the stress of my daughter's illness causing my hormones to go haywire. She said she wasn't concerned but would wait for the results. 
Last Saturday I had an awful letter in the post saying they had found severe dyskaryosis (?invasive) in my smear results. They had also booked me for a colposcopy to investigate. 
Yesterday I had my colposcopy and the consultant said straight away she would be doing LLETZ to remove as many abnormal cells as possible. After the procedure the Dr said she is brutally honest with all of her patients, and that she didn't like what she had seen. She fast tracked the biopsy to the lab and said she was going to put me on the MDT list for the following Wednesday just in case. I asked her if it was cancer and she said we just need to wait for the results. She said she may be wrong, and apologised in advance for putting me through this, but she would rather be safe than sorry. She agreed that it was very odd that my previous colposcopy last year was clear as was my smear test, but she would 'unpick' those results later. 
When they let me out of the room they asked me to wait for 30 minutes to make sure I was ok. My husband was allowed to come up and sit with me. He was and is beside himself, as we have both struggled mentally with our daughter's treatment. 
All of the nurses were very kin and made me a cup of tea - but I can't get it out of my head how they all looked at me. Like they all knew I had cancer? The specialist oncology nurse gave me her card and told me to ring her whenever I liked before the results and MDT meeting next Wednesday. 

I don't know what to think. I am struggling to understand how I've got to this point in under 12 months. I thought cervical cancer was slow at progressing. I am terrified that after everything my daughter has been through, that she's going to lose her Mum. 
 

Last month I started to have uncomfortable back pain at night with period type pains. They are manageable with one or two paracetamol. I don't bleed between periods but they are very heavy. Until my LLETZ yesterday, I've had consistent watery discharge. 
 

Sorry for the long post. It feels better to write it all out actually. Hoping someone can ease my anxiety as I have another 7 days until my results. 

Hi Helen

I am so sorry to read what you’re going through and especially about your little girl- I can’t imagine how difficult things must be for you and I so hope that her treatment will prove to be very successful. You must have gone through some incerdibly tough times, and been unimaginably worried for her. I’m sure we’ll all be praying for the best of news when she finishes her treatment.

And now you have these further worries to deal with. So, let’s start going through this. The severe dyskariosis is abnormal cells, but the question mark means there is a suspicion that these are invasive ie cancer. But they don’t know this yet. The nurses don’t know, the doctor doesn’t know and only the results from pathology of the cells removed at your lletz will give the definitive answer. 

We all look for clues in body language, and how nurses etc “look” towards us but they simply don’t know yet. 

Your doctor clearly suspects something, and is getting your results fast tracked and having you on the MDT list for discussion. This is all a good thing, although it may not feel like it, because you will have answers quickly and be able to get on with whatever treatment is required. 

Unfortunately it is possible to have a clear smear and colposcopy and still have cancer, as no test is perfect, but it seems like the doctor has just seen cells, rather than an actual tumour, so this would suggest that if this is cancer, it will have been caught early. Again that might not seem positive, but in the world of cancer, it really is. Cervical cancer is very treatable, so please try not to think your daughter will lose her mum. No matter what they find, it can be treated.

You will find out very quickly if this is cancer, and will be thrown into a spin of scans and appointments if it is. Early stage cervical cancer would usually mean having a hysterectomy, often with no further treatment required, so that would be the best possible result if you do have cancer. A hysterectomy is not possible for higher stages of this cancer, and you would have a different treatment plan, but it’s too early to think about that yet.

It’s impossible not to worry, I understand that completely, but what I would advise is not to google, and to take one day at a time without automatically thinking the worst. My diagnosis was 3.5 years ago, was locally advanced (so that means there was some spread) and I had a visible tumour. However, I’m fine now. 

Please use the forum here for help and support. We all can understand the fear, and we know what this is like. Obviously, I hope you don’t have cancer, but if you do we can help support you through.  xx

Hello Minska,

Thank you so much for your quick reply. A lot of what you have said makes sense.

I had a call from a consultant at the hospital an hour ago, to advise me they were going to book me in for an MRI scan, based on what they saw yesterday. He said the biopsy results would hopefully be back by Friday and the MRI would be scheduled for next week.

I asked him if he had seen my previous set of colposcopy results, and he said he had put the two photos side by side and there was a significant change in the appearance of my cervix. He then went on to say that an audit is done for every patient and he when that is complete he will be open and honest with me about why the results are different. Which to me means that they didn't spot the cancer last year.

I am still hoping that it will be early stages, but am alarmed at how quickly they are trying to organise the MRI etc. I know this is a good thing in the long run, but I can't help but think it's because they things it's at a very serious stage :(

Hi Helen

Things are moving very quickly for you which is good, but it’s sad to think something might not have been picked up earlier if that is the case. However, this does not necessarily mean that things are at a very serious stage, just that they already seem pretty certain this will be cancer, and they want to get your scans done quickly so that they can proceed with a treatment plan. My biopsy result was back within a week, and ct and mri scans done within a week of that after a single appointment at the gynaecologist so things can move quickly. xx

Hi Helen, I just wanted to share my story a little bit with you, as I have just recently been diagnosed with cc and have staging mri tomorrow. I have had bleeding during intercourse on and off for around 5 years now and was told it was ecropion and nothing to worry about as my smears were all fine, but over the last year it has gotten so bad that we can't have sex anymore. I had a smear and swabs done last year followed by colposcopy which found minor cell changes. So was given a routine referral to gynaecology last August to investigate the bleeding and I was told I likely had endometriosis.

Fast forward to January, and still no appointment, I experienced random severe heavy bleeding twice in one evening, so my GP referred me for an urgent ultrasound which showed a mass on my cervix. I was given an urgent referral back to colposcopy, where he took a few biopsies and done lletz treatment. A week later I get a call from his secretary asking me to come in that afternoon, and when I arrived he confirmed I had cancer. He had taken biopsies and done treatment  further up my cervical whereas the last Dr did not, which is why it was missed at my appointment last year.

Unfortunately colposcopy is not always 100% accurate and things do get missed, so it's good they have got you back in and getting it sorted it out. Hope all goes well for you. Xx

Hi Helen, I just wanted to share my story a little bit with you, as I have just recently been diagnosed with cc and have staging mri tomorrow. I have had bleeding during intercourse on and off for around 5 years now and was told it was ecropion and nothing to worry about as my smears were all fine, but over the last year it has gotten so bad that we can't have sex anymore. I had a smear and swabs done last year followed by colposcopy which found minor cell changes. So was given a routine referral to gynaecology last August to investigate the bleeding and I was told I likely had endometriosis.

Fast forward to January, and still no appointment, I experienced random severe heavy bleeding twice in one evening, so my GP referred me for an urgent ultrasound which showed a mass on my cervix. I was given an urgent referral back to colposcopy, where he took a few biopsies and done lletz treatment. A week later I get a call from his secretary asking me to come in that afternoon, and when I arrived he confirmed I had cancer. He had taken biopsies and done treatment  further up my cervical whereas the last Dr did not, which is why it was missed at my appointment last year.

Unfortunately colposcopy is not always 100% accurate and things do get missed, so it's good they have got you back in and getting it sorted it out. Hope all goes well for you. Xx

Hi so sorry to jump on this post, 

I have concerns and have been going back and forth with my doctors for the last couple of years. It all started when I started the mini pill, after a few months of being on it or even a year maybe I noticed some bleeding after sex, so pink in my discharge etc. I was coming up to for me next smear, but my doctor referred me to gyn for a smear and pelvic exam, this was May 2020 ish. The results come back fine and the gyn agreed with my doctor that is was probably just the pill. However over time my periods started happening (I don't normally have them on the mini pill), but they were kinda regular and mainly spotting so doctor want worried, I had been having hot flushes and doctor had just before all this diagnosed me with anxiety. More and more things started to happen, like discharge (not had this since I was younger) periods were lasting weeks longest being 19days. Again doctor not worried as smear was fine and put it down to perimenopause (I'm only 41, was only 39 as smear). I got married July 2021 and so we decided to go off the pill to see what my periods were like then, just so we had something else to go to the doctor with. My hot flushes calmed loads, but again on the run up to a period my vagina will smell, itch, hurt and sting like hell, I spot for days then the period starts for a few days then I spot for days (lasting 15-19 days a month and then it all starts again. My periods not heavier, cycle not regular and painful, and bad pain in my right thigh, me and husband were so confused. He agrees with the doctors I have had all the tests so nothing is wrong, but I went back. They sent me for a internal ultrasound which was normal, I was also told by them they maybe I should have a smear as this won't show CC, so once I had the results in writing I contacted my doctor, she advised that my hormone bloods were fine, my smear was fine, the ultrasound was fine, so she doesn't think it's cancer and she now doesn't think I'm peri she now thinks it's endometriosis and said to start on the coil or pill again to help with the pain and bleeding. So I have gone back on the mini pill until I get my appointment, so January I had a few days of spotting with one or two days bleeding then nothing until 24th feb and I haven't stopped spotting/bleeding since. I called the doctor again and spoke with a different one this time, who basically advised I go private which I can't afford to as she said the wait for gyn is long. She has however referred me. 
 

sorry that was long but im just so confused, they just keep saying it's just my body and just how it is but then I read your comments and I panic. I get pain in my right thigh and lower back mainly left side, but the last week or so it's been okay. I put it down to at its worse on the run up to bleeding. 
 

do you think I should worry/maybe look and see if family can help pay for private appointment. 
 

thank you xx 

Hi beau

Did your doctor not refer you on the 2 week pathway? If not, then I imagine there will be a long wait to be seen.

You are obviously really concerned about your symptoms, so I would say it’s worth pursuing. Tests are not always 100% guarantee that there is nothing wrong, but with cervical cancer you can’t rely on a smear or an ultrasound. Not that I’m saying I think you have cervical cancer! It might well be something like endometriosis or something else. 

If it were me, I would check how long the nhs referral is likely to take, and if it’s a long time then I would go private for peace of mind in terms of getting a diagnosis of your symptoms. Good luck-hope all will be well. x

Thank you for reply so quick. 
 

The doctor asked if I had private healthcare, she hasn't done a 2 week referral and said the waiting time is long. I get clots in the blood sometimes and streaks of dark blood, and when I had a more of a bleed I pee and it looks like my pee is blood in it (but this is normal for me). 
I just worry as we kept thinking oh it's okay the doctors aren't worried, but then I read what you have all done through and I worry. I just want confirmed answers, surely this isn't normal and okay for women to bleed most of the month, I bloat loads now as well on the run up to a period, but then I said a run up I have no idea now really. Can I call my local hospital and find ont the waiting list for gyn? 
 

Thank you for your advice, I hope you are keeping well x 

Yes, you can call and check on likely waiting times. It is likely to be long because your doctor doesn’t suspect cancer. 

It frankly isn’t normal to bleed so much, and in my opinion and fro my what I know after nearly 4 years of speaking to lots of women, doctors are too quick to fob us off by saying it’s normal.

Hopefully you have something that is not cancer of any sort and can be easily resolved, but if I were you I would borrow the money if you need to to see a private gynaecologist and be thoroughly checked for all possibilities. I can’t go back in time, but if I could I would have been far more proactive about my own health and might have avoided cancer. No doctors were at fault in my case, just me, and there’s no point in me wishing I had done things differently now, but you need answers for your symptoms and reassurance that this is nothing serious. x

I just checked on their website and it's at least a 44 week wait ‍♀️ I can't see why the doctor didn't do it as a 2 week one, as even she said I shouldn't have to just keep waiting and bleeding without answers, I will be so angry if it turns out to be the worst as this could of been prevented sooner. Everyone keeps telling me it's nothing, it was something the doctors would be worried and would be rushing things. I just want to know what it is, as I said to my friends and family if this was you would you honestly just leave it and be happy with spotting most of the month and not knowing why ‍♀️
Also worrying as when it's that time of the month, as I think it's stopping I have a bowel movement and the blood starts again. I never mentioned this as just thought nothing of it, but just seen a post about it and now I'm freaking out. 

will call a private hospital tomorrow to get quotes 

thank you xx 
 

The doctors need to follow set guidelines when making an urgent referral, so that the cases they consider may be cancer or are urgent get seen quicker. As your doctor doesn’t suspect cancer, you are unfortunately not considered urgent but that wait is very long.

I hope you get on well with your calls re private healthcare and can get something organised. xx

Hi beau, I'm sorry to hear you've had such an ordeal. It's awful when doctors don't listen to us or take us seriously. We know our own bodies and when something is not right. Have you been to colposcopy for cervical biopsies? I would recommend really pushing for that, even if you have been already as they do miss things sometimes. It's really reassuring to hear your ultrasound was clear though. There was an area 34mm at its widest point on mine, which is why I finally got a 2 week urgent referral.

It does sound like you could possibly have endometriosis. Unfortunately it's not the easiest of things to get diagnosed. The only was to get a definitive answer is laparoscopy. I was referred for suspected endo last year, but was told the waiting times in my area are 49 weeks. I'm just so relieved to have gotten my new gp or I likely would never have gotten an ultrasound and still be none the wiser as to whats wrong.

Keep pushing your doctors. Don't let it go. I work with someone who paid for private scans (she has previously been diagnosed with fibroids so doctors are not interested) and they mixed up her results so she is currently waiting to have them done again. So don't be too quick to spend money, especially if you can't really cant afford too.

I really do hope you get some answers soon. There's nothing worse than being stuck in limbo with doctors totally unwilling to help. Please do keep us posted on your progress. X

I will keep pushing as I just need an answer, fed up of bleeding all the time and bloating, thankfully the pain is eased by the pill but fed of just being left. 
So pleased you think it sounds like endometriosis, not that it's a great thing to live with but the thought of cancer scares me like it would anyone. I keep telling myself it can't be cancer of it was surely the doctors would be pushing for more and more tests, but they have all said they don't think it is. But if they don't then tell me what it is, as I have always been regular on my periods then out of the blue this happened xx