Doctor won’t perform smear test/ abdominal exam!

Cervical screening (smear test)
1

Hi guys!

My first post here :slight_smile:

I am 24 so not quite old enough for routine cervical screening. Over the past 3/4 months I have experienced some alarming symptoms:
-bleeding between periods
-bloody watery discharge
-pelvic and lower back pain
-bleeding after inter course

Obviously I booked a GP appointment and he told me it was due to stress (I’ve been much more stressed than this before and never had an irregular period). I left it a while and had another appointment today because the symptoms are really impacting my life. He again refused to examine me and said all he can do is send swabs to look for infection but the next available appointment for this is in over a month.

Can they legally deny me a smear test/ abdo exam because I’m 24?

How can I push for some investigations?

2

Sorry but your gp is absolutely wrong and you should get a smear test done, can’t you ask to see a different gp?

3

This GP I was today was a different one, there’s only one other GP at the practice and can’t get an appointment for months :frowning:

4

A smear test is just a screening procedure and isnt appropriate in your case as you are symptomatic. I think you should request a gynae referral. There are loads of explanations for your symptoms you just need diagnosis and treatment. Very unlikely to be anything sinister.

4 Likes
5

You may wish to do home HPV test via Superdrug, you could then take this to your GP if you are positive.

6

Hi ladies

@eleanor_rigby unfortunately GPs wont accept the results of a home HPV test even though its just as accurate as their NHS ones, they wouldnt act on it even if it was positive for high risk HPV

There is only really 2 options you could take @Meggvann, 1: if you can afford it, go private… since you arnt of age yet, its not necassarily that its the GP refusing to do it they just know the lab would receive the sample see that your not of age and they would reject it making the intimate exam inappropriate or 2: just keep pushing them to refer you to a gyneacologist, its clear you do need investigations despite your age… it is unlikely to be CC based off your age and there are many things it could be that arnt related to CC… 9 times out of 10 symptoms do turn out to be caused by something completely different even when they match to a TEE xx

7

Thanks guys. I got a private appointment and she did an STI test (have recent negative one) and has ordered an ultrasound. Does anyone know what the ultrasound could be looking for? She said if they come back normal then I’ll have a colposcopy