'Cervical screening can save lives' - so why do so many women avoid their smear test in Nottinghamshire?
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According to recent data, of the 212,000 women eligible for cervical screening in Notts, more than 46,000 women have not attended their appointments in this last quarter alone.
Health officials fear that the worry around the virus may be causing some women to avoid a potential life-saving appointment, which could have fatal consequences.
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Hide AdA recent survey by The Eve Appeal, the leading UK national charity funding research and raising awareness into gynaecological cancers, found that nearly one in three women who didn’t attend their cervical screening test when invited in the last 12 months were off put by coronavirus.
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire’s Clinical Commissioning Group said: "Cervical screening is a vital tool in our fight against cancer.
"Women aged 25-49 who are registered with a GP surgery are invited for cervical screening every three years, while women aged 50-64 are invited every five years.
"We would urge all women to make sure they respond to their smear test reminders and attend their appointment; the test is free and usually takes less than five minutes.
"Simply put, cervical screening can save lives.”
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Hide AdCervical screening checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).
These types of HPV can cause abnormal changes to the cells in your cervix and are called "high risk" types of HPV.
If these are found during screening, the sample of cells is then checked for abnormal changes.
For more information on cervical screening, check out the NHS website.