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Women interviewed by UK
investigators say
cervical smears are humiliating
and stressful |
A new investigation reveals women interviewed think getting a PAP (cervical smear) test is humiliating and stressful.
Researchers say a woman’s feelings about cervical smears shouldn't be ignored , and that health care providers should recognize and discuss expectations and anxiety women might experience from the tests.
In findings from University of Leicester , published in the international journal Family Practice , women report they aren’t always treated kindly when they have their exam to detect cancer.
In their study , the researchers found women would like a more personalized approach.
According to Dr Natalie Armstrong , Lecturer in Social Science Applied to Health at the University of Leicester:
"Attitudes towards cervical smears remain something of a paradox. On one hand , screening appears to command impressive levels of public support - as demonstrated by campaigns to widen the eligibility criteria - but on the other hand there is considerable evidence suggesting that individual women find the experience of the screening test problematic."
For many women , a gynecological exam is stressful and painful.
Armstrong interviewed 34 women for her paper , published in collaboration with colleagues at Glasgow Caledonian University.
She says one woman stated , "It's just so cold. You go in , you take your clothes off , she does that and I mean it's just so , it's just so degrading and embarrassing. It's just horrible."
“Women can feel passive , helpless and vulnerable in the face of a situation where they risk pain and discomfort , shame and humiliation , and violation and invasion of privacy” , says Armstrong.
She says one solution may be to talk to women about their expectations during a cervical PAP smear to allow them to express their feelings.
"Ignoring women's fears , anxieties and concerns can appear to deny the reality , or at least the validity , of women's emotional responses.”
Women in the study said health care professionals can seem detached and distant during exams.
Armstrong hopes the finding can translate to a better experience for women undergoing the embarrassment of having a cervical smear test. Women interviewed in the University of Leicester study found the exams stressful and humiliating.
