The Northern Ireland Cervical Screening Programme aims to reduce the number of women who develop cervical cancer and the number who die from it.
It tries to do this by testing as many women as possible, examining the test results and referring the women for further treatment if any early warning signs are present.
Currently, women aged 25-49 are invited for screening every 3 years and those aged 50-64 are invited every 5 years.
The screening test (often known as a smear test) checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). If high-risk HPV (HrHPV) is detected during screening, the sample will also be checked for abnormal cell changes.
These abnormal changes may go on to develop into cancer if left untreated. However, in some cases, particularly young women, the body’s immune system will return the cells to normal by themselves, rendering them harmless.
If you have received a letter from the NI Screening Programme advising that you are due a smear test you can now book with our Practice Nurse, Dawn, by contacting the Practice on 02890 848420
