Jade Goody

Not sure what you mean by 'casually' and 'informality'? 

I can hazard a guess...

Every smear I've ever had in the US:  take off all your clothes, wear a paper gown, get up in the stirrups, get inspected, doctor leaves, you get a chance to clean up all the goo and get back into your clothes in private. 

The smears I've had in the UK:  drop your trousers to your knees, climb up onto a examination table, the nurse sticks her fingers and a swab up you, then walks over to wash up while you're left in the corner of the room with no privacy trying to get your clothes done up again.

The US scenario is far from pleasant, but is at least rather clinical - while the UK experience leaves you (or at least me!) feeling like a teenager who's been caught half-naked by her boyfriend's mom.  It's a bit like having sex in a king-sized bed in a hotel room vs a drunken fumble in a nightclub loo.  Neither experience is guaranteed to be fun, but at least the hotel room has more space!

I can hazard a guess...

Every smear I've ever had in the US:  take off all your clothes, wear a paper gown, get up in the stirrups, get inspected, doctor leaves, you get a chance to clean up all the goo and get back into your clothes in private. 

The smears I've had in the UK:  drop your trousers to your knees, climb up onto a examination table, the nurse sticks her fingers and a swab up you, then walks over to wash up while you're left in the corner of the room with no privacy trying to get your clothes done up again.

In the UK, I've always had a curtain around the examining table, so that i could get dressed and undressed in privacy.

I cant remember what it was like in the US, but i 'm sure it was similar.

The smears I've had in the UK:  drop your trousers to your knees, climb up onto a examination table, the nurse sticks her fingers and a swab up you, then walks over to wash up while you're left in the corner of the room with no privacy trying to get your clothes done up again.

I think this is one big reason why some people may avoid them. I've only been in the UK 7 months, and I don't even have a GP yet, but the thought of this doesn't exactly make me motivated to schedule a screening. I know it may sound silly, but I also know I can't be the only one who feels this way.

In the UK, I've always had a curtain around the examining table, so that i could get dressed and undressed in privacy.

I cant remember what it was like in the US, but i 'm sure it was similar.

I've had the same experiences as Meg, until the last one, which was like Q-G's.  I even commented to the Dr who did it.  She was shocked I'd had no privacy the two previous times. (Different surgery)

I really wonder how much it costs to have one done yearly.  I think I'll be asking the GP next time I see him.

In the UK, I've always had a curtain around the examining table, so that i could get dressed and undressed in privacy

Me too!!! You guys need to request a different nurse next time!!! My last one was virtually the same as in the US only without the stirrups, which I find much, much more dignified to be honest. The nurse I go to (for everything - she's awesome - I like her better than my GP!) is quick and efficient but also very good and always says to let her know if it's too uncomfortable, etc. There's always a curtain to undress behind and they use a speculum, not just fingers!! She talks the whole way through, and explains everything really thoroughly, including what any possible result could mean. You only undress halfway, but she also presses you about whether or not you do a breast self-exam and I think if you said "no" she'd probably show you how.

The smears I've had in the UK:  drop your trousers to your knees, climb up onto a examination table, the nurse sticks her fingers and a swab up you, then walks over to wash up while you're left in the corner of the room with no privacy trying to get your clothes done up again.

The US scenario is far from pleasant, but is at least rather clinical - while the UK experience leaves you (or at least me!) feeling like a teenager who's been caught half-naked by her boyfriend's mom.  It's a bit like having sex in a king-sized bed in a hotel room vs a drunken fumble in a nightclub loo.  Neither experience is guaranteed to be fun, but at least the hotel room has more space!

This has been my experience as well and it makes me terribly uncomfortable.  I am no strangers to gynos and am not bothered by going to one in the US.  I also never really had uncomfortable pap smears in the US either.

Since I have been in the UK, I really dread getting a smear.  I also have a chronic condition which means I need to be checked out more frequently, and now I really really hate going to appointments.

I hate the casualness of it all.  The lack of privacy.  The lack of thoroughness.  The pain!!!  And I have also noticed here that it is not always the case that someone else is in the room with you.  While none of my nurses or doctors have been overtly inappropriate, the whole thing just skeevs me out.  I WANT the professional clinical nature of it all.

To those of you who don't get the necessary privacy, I would suggest you ring your local PCT to raise it with the PALS team and specifically ask them to make the Primary Care team aware of it. I do primary care contract monitoring and if the PALS team came to me with a comment like that I can assure you that on that GP practice's next visit I would ask to see the exam room and be sure that there are curtains. I've NEVER had a lack of privacy at my GP's or at the hospital (when I went for a mammogram some years back) and contractually, not giving you a curtain to dress and undress behind is an issue.

I have always had normal smear results in the US. When I had my first smear here, I got a letter that the results were inconclusive, and I needed to come back. I had to leave work early for this, so mentioned where I was going to my boss (we had a close personal relationship) and she said that she has never received conclusive results the first time, and always has to go back in, and that this happens to a lot of her friends as well. When I went back in, the nurse mentioned that they were going to do a more accurate test this time. If what my boss said is true, and a lot of people have inconclusive results the first time, this makes no sense to me. Why not do the more accurate test the first time? Seems like it would save money/resources? Have others experienced this? Does what the nurse said even sound true?

To address the yearly issue--I was under the impression that it might be possible to get a smear at one of the family planning clinics on a yearly basis, since they seem to operate outside of the normal GP practice. Has anyone tried this? I did speak to my friend in the US who is a doctor about this, and she actually said that for people with consistently normal results she thought 3 years was fine, so that did make me feel better.

To get back to Jade, for a second, I was surprised to see that the NY Times picked this story up: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/world/europe/20britain.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=jade%20goody&st=cse

If what my boss said is true, and a lot of people have inconclusive results the first time, this makes no sense to me. Why not do the more accurate test the first time? Seems like it would save money/resources? Have others experienced this? Does what the nurse said even sound true?

They're in the process of changing how they do them now and the brush they use now is much, much more accurate. The nurse I just saw said the lab needs cells from both the outside of the cervix and the inside (this might be a dumbed down explanation - I'm sure Courtney could explain it more thoroughly) and the new soft brush gets both on a more regular basis. My nurse said now it's less than 1% that are inconclusive which is a massive improvement.

I am no strangers to gynos and am not bothered by going to one in the US.  I also never really had uncomfortable pap smears in the US either.

Since I have been in the UK, I really dread getting a smear.  I also have a chronic condition which means I need to be checked out more frequently, and now I really really hate going to appointments.

Same here, to all of it!

I've been thinking...I've had three smears since I moved to the UK (I moved in September 2006, and September is always when I've had my annual exam, so 2006-2007-2008) and all have been the same sort as previously described - no curtains, etc. - at two different surgeries.  However, they're both part of the same PCT, and I'm now living in a different PCT, so I wonder if this year's will be different?  I have a history of abnormal smears and am careful not to miss a year, but I just don't feel like I've been fully checked out when the nurse hasn't even looked around down there! 

Maybe I'll see about booking a test with my new surgery before September and see if it's any different.

They're in the process of changing how they do them now and the brush they use now is much, much more accurate. The nurse I just saw said the lab needs cells from both the outside of the cervix and the inside (this might be a dumbed down explanation - I'm sure Courtney could explain it more thoroughly) and the new soft brush gets both on a more regular basis. My nurse said now it's less than 1% that are inconclusive which is a massive improvement.

That's great! Thanks for explaining that, Anne. I forgot all about it until I read this thread, and it was a couple of years ago, so glad to see that things are improving.

(I'm sure Courtney could explain it more thoroughly)

Actually, that's perfect.

I prefer not having to strip naked like someone who's ill and be examined like a piece of meat.

And, having broken my tailbone in the past, I hate stirrups!

After having had three children, including 2 instrumental deliveries with stitches afterwards, a colpo, a LEEP and a ERPC for missed miscarriage, I'm so glad they only use stirrups here when necessary.

I find them mortifying, completely undignified and painful on my back.

I've had both curtains and no curtains here, but either way it doesn't really bother me.  I'm not a modest person by any means.

I've had loads of smear tests here because I moved here the same year I had my LEEP in the US and haven't had a painful experience yet (touch wood).  Was due another test last August but was third trimester pregnant so I'm going in March instead.

FWIW, vaginal childbirth sloughs off a lot of the lining of the cervix, so even in the US, they won't do a LEEP on a heavily pregnant woman until after she delivers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7903784.stm

. The nurse I go to (for everything - she's awesome - I like her better than my GP!)

OMG... my nurse is fantastic as well!  She is so lovely and easy to talk to!