At the age of 30, Laura Woods ignored an NHS reminder letter for her cervical smear test while managing her job and raising her daughter, BBC News reported.
When she eventually attended her screening months later, doctors discovered a 5.5cm tumor and diagnosed her with cervical cancer. Woods told BBC News that the diagnosis left everything she valued feeling smashed to pieces.
Smear tests involve a clinician swabbing the cervix to check for abnormal cells and save about 4,500 lives every year in the UK. The NHS invites women aged 25 to 64 to undergo the screening every five years.
“If I had put that off [any longer] and not gone, then I don’t know whether I would be sitting here today,” Woods told BBC News.
Woods described her life at 30 as hectic when the invitation for her second smear test arrived in the post. She admitted that multiple responsibilities took priority over the administrative envelope from the health service.
“Loads of things seemed to take priority over things that come in the post, one of them being my cervical screening invite,” Woods said.
Despite the notification, she assumed everything would be fine and focused on other daily tasks. This delay postponed her appointment by two to three months past the due date.
Now 41 years old and living in Lowestoft, Suffolk, Woods participates in a new cervical screening awareness campaign. The initiative aims to address declining attendance rates and encourage eligible individuals to book their appointments promptly.
Medical professionals emphasize that routine screenings remain the most effective preventative measure against cervical cancer. Catching abnormal cellular changes early allows for prompt treatment before cancer develops.
The NHS invites women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 to attend screening appointments every five years.
A clinician inserts a speculum into the vagina and uses a soft brush to collect a small sample of cells from the surface of the cervix.