Smear test
 

I have some questions about smear test.
What if you've never been sexually active, except rape? Do I have to go?
If I go do they ask about sexual history?
If I chose to disclose abuse, how do I do it? If I write it on paper, what do i say?

Hello,

First off nobody has to go for a smear test, however it is strongly advised in the interests of your health, including in your circumstance. My understanding is that is still recommended even if you've never been sexually active at all.

I don't think I've ever been asked about my sexual history at my smear test, but hopefully someone who has had one more recently will be able to confirm that as it's possible that they did and I don't remember.

In terms of disclosing, I think however you felt comfortable would be OK, so if writing it down would be easier then you could do that. If you felt able, you could let the receptionist know when booking that you may find it a difficult experience and see if they will allow you to bring someone with you for support and you could request a longer appointment if necessary so that you don't feel rushed and can take some time to speak to the nurse if you want.

If you go just know you don't have to answer anything you are not comfortable with. Sometimes this info can be useful to providers but I think most would understand if you were not comfortable answering these questions. If you choose to go in for one I would recommend going to a doctor you already know and are comfortable with or at least looking up reviews to find a good one. It might also help to keep answers short and to the point or at least that's what I tend to do.

(I hope this reply isn't too late, but I also wanted to respond for anyone else who might have a similar question)

It's still recommended from a medical standpoint, as a preventative measure (ensure you don't have cervical cancer and that sort of thing), not necessarily sex-related. They might ask about sexual activity to determine if you need testing for STIs or pregnancy, if applicable (not from a place of judgement, just to make sure you're healthy because you can have an STI without any symptoms). If your provider indicates that you need some sort of testing that's invasive, it might be helpful to just indicate that you have some trauma. You don't necessarily need to go into detail if you don't want, but it might help the clinician be more sensitive or take more time or give you a break if needed. I'm super comfortable with my primary care/ general practitioner and she knows a fair amount about my past trauma. She offered to handle my pap smear and pelvic exam. I found that it helped for her to explain everything that she was doing, giving me some prompt to breathe and relax my muscles. When it ended up being too much for me to handle, she asked if we could stop and was really nice about it and just said we could try again another day. I've heard about some offices letting patients do the smear themselves, so maybe that could be an option if it would be easier?