Abnormal smear test results

If you’ve been told you’ve got abnormal smear test results then you’re probably wondering, what does abnormal mean? An abnormal test result can be down to many causes and the presence of abnormal cells doesn’t automatically mean you’ve got cervical cancer. Read on as we answer a member of our community who had an abnormal smear test result and explain what to expect if you’ve had one.

For more information about smear tests and answers to questions like when to have a smear test and do they hurt, see this article.

What does an abnormal smear test result mean?

“My first smear test result came back as abnormal. So I had another one three months later which came back as inadequate. I was asked to return for a third test, and this time I’ve been told the results will be delayed as my cervix was inflamed. Should I be worried?”

Smear tests are all about preventing cervical cancer, so having an abnormal smear test result can be worrying. As you have discovered, if you do have an abnormal smear test result you will be asked to have three normal smear results at six-monthly intervals before it’s deemed safe to go back to normal screening every three years.

An abnormal smear does not mean you have cervical cancer

Just be aware that an abnormal result does not mean that you have cervical cancer. It simply means that there are some changes to the cells in your cervix.

It’s common for a test to come back as inadequate or unsatisfactory, which means that the sample of cells taken during the test wasn’t good enough to provide conclusive results. Very often this is not linked to cervical cancer and these cells will have returned to normal by the time you have your repeat test. However, the fact that your cervix was inflamed threw up an additional, but not uncommon, problem.

Causes of an inflamed cervix

The inflammation of your cervix could be caused by a number of things, most of which will not be very serious, for example your immune system or vaginitis. You can find more information about the common causes of inflammation in our article ‘is my vagina normal’ here.

Pelvic inflammatory disease and STIs

However, sometimes it could be caused by a more serious condition such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), or by a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia. If you did have PID you would probably have other symptoms which may have been picked up on during your smear test. If you do have any concerns about having an STI, visit your doctor (GP) or your nearest GUM clinic to arrange to have some tests.

More information about smear tests

It’s a worrying time for any woman when she has an abnormal smear test result. However, it’s important to remember that it’s not a test for cancer; it’s a way of catching abnormalities early and preventing anything from developing into cancer. For more information on smear tests, read our article here.

Concerns or worries about your body? Take a look at the rest of our body problems resources here or get chatting on our discussion boards.