A large number of women fear it and for good reason, there is nothing pleasant about it. However, this medical examination is essential to prevent the risk of cancer. So that women can feel more comfortable, it is now possible to do it alone, at home.
Appointments at the gynecologist are never very pleasant, despite the gentleness and kindness of certain doctors. However, it is essential to follow the key dates to the letter in order to prevent certain cancers, particularly that of the cervix. Cervical cancer screening is part of an organized and free program.
Indeed, all women aged 25 to 65 must regularly visit a gynecologist, doctor or midwife. to take a cervical smear. However, faced with this dreaded exam, the National Cancer Institute declared that “more than 40% of women affected by screening do not do it, or not regularly”. There are several reasons for this: fear, embarrassment or even difficulties finding a (good) healthcare professional.
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An exam that can now be done at home
Faced with this alarming result, a new system has been put in place so that women who fear this exam can carry it out on their own, with complete confidence and without fear. In fact, it is now possible to carry out this test yourself, from home. Collection kits are available in some laboratories, by prescription only.
-It is possible to carry out the test in the laboratory, or at home, in a familiar environment, therefore, where you feel more comfortable and less embarrassed. This test consists, exactly as with the gynecologist, of taking cells from the walls of the vagina with a swab. The latter must then be analyzed in the laboratory before obtaining the results. Two possibilities then come into play: if the test is negative, the person who carried out the test must simply do it again in five years, but if it is positive, she will have to go to a gynecologist in order to take a classic smear.
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Self-debit is available under certain conditions
This home test was deemed reliable and was even recommended by the High Authority of Health, which declared in 2019 that cervical cancer screening “can also be taken from a vaginal self-sampling (APV). APV must be offered, from the age of 30, to women who are not screened or insufficiently screened.”
Indeed, although this self-collection system can be carried out by the majority of women, some, however, will have to go through the gynecologist box. The first smears, to be carried out from the age of 25 (two tests one year apart), then every three years in the event of normal results, must be done by a health professional. If the results were negative, then it will be possible for the patient to take self-samples from the age of 30 only. Self-sampling cannot also be carried out in certain cases: menstruation, vaginal infection, pregnancy, history of abnormal smears. However, it is essential to respect the deadlines between these screenings, since it allows “to identify pre-cancerous lesions early enough, to monitor or treat them, and thus to prevent the appearance of cancer”, as recalled by the National Cancer Institute. Good to know.
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