#NoFearGoSmear

Hey guys,

So this is going to be something thats pretty different to the usual stuff I write about on my blog. However, I feel that it is something that definitely needs to be discussed and that is smear tests.  So a little disclaimer before I start writing: I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable whilst reading this, I only want to help raise awareness on just how important smear tests are and I don't want to upset people either, I just want to talk about it. Also any views or opinions expressed on here are entirely my own other than the stats that have been provided for me.

I love my pussy/ies, all five of them!

The past week in the UK (I'm not sure about the rest of the world) has been Cervical Screening Awareness Week and it's a pretty serious thing because it can save your life. However, there is such a taboo about going for the smear test. I think this mainly to the fact that you have to show your vagina (otherwise known as a vajayjay, minky, minnie, flower, foofoo, fanny) to a nurse who you may not know very well. The whole process can be very nerve wracking and embarrassing for some. But in all honesty the nurse won't care about how your vagina looks, she's there to do her job and to make sure that everything is fine.

 I can imagine the thought process of women due for a smear test and these are just a couple examples: *should I shave or leave it, tidy it up a bit or does that look ok how it is?* or *What kind of underwear should I wear? My usual or something else?*. 

The nurse won't be paying attention to how your vagina looks outside, she's concerned with the inside! The nurse has probably seen tonnes of vaginas too.

If I was given the chance for a smear test - but due to my age, I am denied that right - I wouldn't hesitate to get myself booked in. I don't know whether it's because my mum has had cancer in the past (breast cancer) and she kept putting it off and putting it off from going to the doctors. When we got the news, I didn't know at the time if my mum was going to be around for much longer. I put off University for a year and everything just incase anything did happen to her. It was such a gruelling and horrible time and I never want to experience that again. 2011 and 2012 was some of the toughest times I've had to go through. Any form of cancer is heartbreaking and anyone who fights it are amazing, strong and courageous people. But I can't stress or write about just how important having your smear test is because as I've said about twenty times in this post and like millions of women across the globe have said: It can save your life! 

There are a few petitions going around online to get the age limit lowered to 16 years old, so if you see any on social networking sites or on petition sites such as change.org then please sign them it takes just a couple minutes to do and it can make such a difference to someones life. 

A couple minutes of discomfort whilst the nurse takes a swab of your vagina is worth more than your life.

Your life has value and worth. You are worth it. 

The lovely ladies over on @CervicalScreen1 twitter have kindly sent me some stats about smear tests. If you have any concerns or questions, drop them a DM and they'd be more than happy to help. Some of these stats are as follows:

33% is quite a large percentage, it's scary to  imagine how many women that equates to.

Lets raise awareness girls and lets change the taboo of smear tests. Follow campaigns such as #NoFearGoSmear and #DontFearTheSmear. Social networking is a massive platform and a fantastic way to raise awareness on the importance of cervical screening! There's also information on websites such as the NHS and Cancer Research UK if you wanted to check those out.

Thanks for reading this, I really appreciate it. I hope some good comes out of this post. Please, I don't want anyone to think that I am only saying that ovarian cancer, cervical cancer etc are more important or worse than any other form of cancer, because it's not. Every form of cancer is horrible and gruesome and can have devastating effects but I am mainly focusing on smear tests for now. If any body wants to speak about smear tests or cancer in general then feel free to either comment below or message me privately either via email or DM on Twitter or speak to @CervicalScreen1 on Twitter. So again, thank you all for reading this exceptionally long post, I'm sorry for rambling on so much. I'll post again soon,

Katie x