A new NHS trial is offering women at-home smear testing kits that identify the early signs of cervical cancer. The trial will be offered to around 31,000
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The DIY smear test – everything you need to know but didn t want to ask
As an NHS pilot scheme of so-called at home smear tests is rolled out, here s what you need to know
DIY smear tests are being trialled in London
Credit: Peter Dazeley/copyright Dazeley
Smear tests are an unpleasant, but necessary, fact of life for women. Although cervical screening is estimated to save 5,000 lives a year in the UK, many women continue to put it off for any number of reasons - from having had a previously uncomfortable or painful experience, to embarrassment or cultural stigmas.
But a new scheme is looking to change that. This week, it was revealed that more than 31,000 women in London are being offered “do-it-at-home” smear tests to check for early warnings of cervical cancer, as part of a pilot run by NHS England, Public Health England and King’s College London. Experts believe these swabs could be a “gamechanger” in encouraging more women to get screened.