I have been on pill for 7 years, I’m 23 so not old enough for a smear. Research shows that being on the pill for longer than 5 years can double your chances of getting cervical cancer. On the pill leaflet it says to get a smear test if your using the pill, but when I asked for one I was denied one because of my age.
I am concerned about this research and I don’t really want to take the pill anymore, but what do I do for contraception as I don’t want children just yet.
There is mixed results when it comes to links with cervical cancer and long term pill use. One of the main factors I think is if you are on the pill you may be more likely to have more sex or more sex without condoms. This in turn makes the likely hood of having the HPV virus higher. But you need to remember generally the body fights the virus and clears it.
Something else I read did suggest that long term pill use may make cells on the cervix more susceptible to the HPV virus. But again this is not a certain.
I think it is a case of knowing your own body and look out for any unusual bleeding...pain ect. The age for smears does need to be lowered!
