​​What does it mean to have an abnormal smear test result?

“If you are found to have a high-risk HPV infection, you will be invited for more tests. It is important, however, to remember that HPV is so common and most women with the virus do not go on to develop cervical cancer with HPV.”

If you do have abnormal cells, you’ll also be informed of whether they are low or high grade (“this refers to the amount of cells which have changed,” Dr Welsh explains), as well as a ranking number which indicates how deeply the cell changes go through your cervical skin.

The ranking ranges from CIN 1 to CIN 3, depending on how deep the abnormal cells are throughout your cervical skin. It’s possible that lower-grade cell changes will go back to normal on their own, and for this reason some patients with “abnormal cells” will be told that nothing needs to be done.

But patients with high-grade changes will be recommended treatment due to the unpredictability of when the situation may escalate.  

What treatment is recommended for abnormal cells in your cervix?

The most common treatment for abnormal cells is Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone, known as LLETZ treatment.

Dr Walsh outlines what this entails: “A specialist will use a loop of thin wire with an electrical current running through it to cut through the tissue and remove the affected area. This should not be painful if you’ve had local anaesthetic, but you may feel some pressure down below.”

What it’s really like to have abnormal cells in your cervix?

For Hollie, 25, finding out she had abnormal cells after having a cervical smear was a confusing and stressful experience.

“I received my results 3-4 weeks after my test. I was very anxious and upset to learn that I was HPV positive and abnormal cells had been found – known as low grade dyskaryosis,” she said. “When I had these results come back I found little information online, as I feel like smear tests, cell changes, and cervical cancer are just not spoken about as much at my age.”

She was somewhat surprised at her diagnosis, due to the fact she’d had her HPV vaccine as a teenager and thought that made her immune to cervical cancer. The reality of how the HPV vaccine works is different: “The HPV vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer,” Dr Walsh says. “Therefore, it’s important that after receiving the HPV vaccine, you also attend your regular cervical screening appointments.”

Hollie admits that she struggled not to Google her condition, especially when she was about to receive treatment. “I was referred for a colposcopy, which is similar to a smear test, for further examination, and this is when I started to Google,” she said. “I struggled to sleep that evening – I would say Google was the worst thing I could have done, as I am an overthinker.

“My family had all experienced cell changes after having children, and I found information suggesting that I may struggle to conceive (and worse) which just made my anxiety soar.”