Hi, 

I have the same problem. I'm 50 but never had a child, smear tests have always been really painful. I finally found a nurse that did my last one without me having to stop her due to the pain but she has now retired and I'm due one now. Previous nurses have just been snappy with me telling me it shouldn't hurt. On one occasion I had to ask them to stop. She told me I was being ridiculous and obviously had a very low pain threshold but I bled for 5 days afterwards (not my period). 
I have recently has a histeroscopy  (?sp) and that had to be done under a general anaesthetic but they wouldn't do the smear at the same time. I'm dreading the smear now with a new nurse 

Hello and thanks for your post,

I am really sorry to hear about your situation and your previous smears. I do hope that your next one won't be so bad.

The charity Jo's Trust has written a blog on suggestions to how to make a cervical smear more bearable. Do have a look here

They do suggest that if it has been painful in the past that you ask for a smaller speculum. I do hope that the new nurse will be more understanding about how you are feeling.

I do wish you all the best,

Catherine

Thanks to everyone for posting because it's made me realise I'm not alone in feeling excruciating pain during a smear test. 
I'm in my 40s now and during my 20s it was fine. Then I had a bad experience and a nurse had to stop. Since then, I've found the procedure very painful. I have at times felt like I might be sick or even pass out. I've given birth with no pain relief so I know I don't have a low pain threshold. 
However today I had a really helpful and understanding GP who successfully carried out the smear. I sat on my fists. She said she'd use the smallest speculum. She asked me to breathe in and then out through my mouth. As I breathed out she did the procedure. If it hurt she said I had to tell her, then she'd stop. Once the pain completely subsided she would continue . She had completed it before I had done 3 breaths out. 
Next time, I will ask to use this method again and hope the person doing the test is as empathetic as the doctor doing it today. 

Hi, I've had a similar experience this year. I'm 48 and since April this year I've had 5 failed smear tests, 3 with different nurses at my GP surgery, 1 at a gynae clinic ( where the nurse told me that the walls of my vagina had gone spongy due to the menopause and that she couldn't see so she cut the finger off an examination glove and tried to insert this around the speculum to keep the vaginal wall back! It didn't work) and 1 at the local hospital which was performed by a very unsympathetic male gynaecologist whilst also attempting a hysteroscopy with gas and air for unexplained bleeding whilst on HRT.  After that they agreed to perform the hysteroscopy and smear under general anaesthesia (NHS) After this procedure, when I passed urine, I suffered the most intense burning pain for 5 days due to the trauma sustained around the opening of my vagina, I'm guessing vaginal dryness due to the menopause was a contributing factor. 
Apart from 1 of the failed smear attempts I was told things like " come on it's not that bad" "just relax" " you've had 2 children"  ( I had 2 emergency caesareans) " what do you do when you have sex". I have had these types of comments since I started to have smear tests in my 20's. I have a history of endometriosis', adenomyosis, fibroids and an ovarian cyst. 
I am in total fear knowing that I will have to have smears up to the age of 60. I have already started to think that I will refuse/ ignore the reminder letter in 2/3 years. I have even asked my GP if I can have a total hysterectomy (cervix also removed) so I wouldn't have to have any more smear tests. She laughed and said no. 
apoligies for my rambling account and not being able to offer any help, good luck! 

Beth

I've had some painful smears in the past. I honestly think a lot of it depends on the skill and manner of who is doing it and how relaxed you can manage to be. However, smears faded into insignificance after I had a coil fitted (haven't had children and have to have smallest speculum) and then when it was replaced it was "lost" and I had to have an internal scan which was fine but then a hysteroscopy. OMG that was agony! I shrieked my head off but insisted they carried on as I was more scared of a general but I felt traumatised and then to top it off they literally yanked my coil out and shoved a new one in. I came out and burst into tears. They need to offer heavy sedation beforehand for these kind of procedures but personally I'd rather have a smear or hysteroscopy over a gastroscope any day. Having a hosepipe down my throat 3 times is still the worst ever!

I had to explain that I was now at a point that I couldn't go through any more attempts and that it was affecting my mental health. They cannot make you keep trying.  I think the point that changed things for me was after the failed hysteroscopy with gas and air at the hospital. Good luck 

Oh my gosh I'm so glad I found this page - such a relief to know I'm not the only one! I had my first attempt at a smear last week and it was too painful so the nurse couldn't get the sample. She was so lovely about it and honestly this lady deserves a medal for the amount of patience she had with me. 
We rebooked it for a week later (today) and although we got further than last time when she was moving the speculum to try and get the sample it got too painful and I had to ask her to stop. 
Sounds dramatic but I honestly felt so ashamed I couldn't do it. 
Always being told it's not 'painful' just 'uncomfortable' so I thought there was something really wrong with me.

so thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it's been a big help

hope everyone finds a lovely nurse with as much patience, it makes such a difference!

I'm in my early 40s having had 4 smears, all absolutely agonizing painful experiences. I have never had children and have experienced rape twice. I go into heightened anxiety walking into the surgery. My first smear they worked out the tools don't bend the way my body does, the second the nurse gave up and as I moved jammed it in without warning which made me scream as I was so tense. The third I was racially assaulted by the tall black nurse who screamed at me and called me a pathetic white *it** who should never have children before restraining me and putting the fans on to drown out my screaming. The last one they tried to rush me, the speculum had plastic thorns on the outside and the nurse ran screaming around the room saying she can't do it. Got to say I cannot face any others, the smallest tool they have is still too painful and the pointy brush they insist on is like being assaulted again. I got an at home one last year thankfully negative, I know the nurses will say it's not the same but the tools/approach/methodology does not fit all. We are not cans of paint, the approach needs to be tailored to us. The NHS works for us, there should be more flexibility in how these life-saving tests are carried out. 

Hello Conkey and thanks for posting, 

I am so sorry to learn about your experiences when you tried to have cervical screening and can appreciate why you can't face the thought as a result. 

If you feel you want to reconsider, there may be an option of referring you to a specialist service, so this may be something to ask about at some point.  

I am not sure if you felt able to at the time, but there are ways to complain about bad experiences in health care that you may want to consider. Our website has more information about this here and so does the NHS website at this link.  

Although it is available privately, home sampling HPV testing is still being researched by the cervical screening programme, hopefully in time this may prove to be an option they can offer. 

Take care,

Julia