How To Book

Booking a cervical screening appointment

You'll be sent an invitation through the NHS App, by text or by letter when it's time to book your cervical screening appointment.

Your invitation will tell you where you can go for cervical screening and how to book.

Most cervical screening is done in a GP surgery by a female nurse or doctor.

You can usually call your GP surgery to book an appointment with them. You might be able to book the appointment online.

Find your GP surgery

In some parts of England, you may be able to go to a local sexual health clinic or walk-in centre instead.

If you missed an appointment

If you were invited for cervical screening but missed or did not book an appointment, contact your GP surgery or local sexual health clinic to book now.

You can still book even if you were invited weeks or months ago.

HPV self-testing

The NHS is introducing a test for HPV you can do at home. It's for women or anyone with a cervix aged 30 to 65 who has not had cervical screening after being invited in the past.

You need to be invited to do HPV self-testing.

When to book cervical screening

Try to book your appointment as soon as you get invited. If you missed your last cervical screening, you do not need to wait for an invitation.

It's best to book an appointment for a time when:

you're not having a period - if you have your period on the day of your screening test, contact your GP to rearrange your appointment
you've finished treatment if you have unusual vaginal discharge or a pelvic infection

Cervical screening during pregnancy

Contact your GP surgery if you're pregnant and you get invited for cervical screening. If it's for routine cervical screening, the GP or nurse may ask you to wait to make an appointment until about 3 months after your baby is due.

If you've previously had an abnormal result from a cervical screening test and need a repeat test, you can still have this while you're pregnant. Your GP or midwife may ask you to have the test when you're 3 to 6 months pregnant. Cervical screening is safe to have while you're pregnant.

Cervical screening after tests or treatments

Contact your GP surgery or hospital team if you've had a test or treatment that could affect cervical screening, such as a biopsy of your uterus or surgery to remove cervical polyps.

You may be advised to wait a bit longer before booking cervical screening.

Important

Avoid using any vaginal medicines, lubricants or creams in the 2 days before you go for cervical screening as they can affect the results.

Things to ask when you book

It's OK to let the GP surgery know if you have any worries about going for cervical screening.

Do

let them know if you'd like a woman to do the test - most nurses and doctors who take cervical screening samples are female
let them know if you'd like someone else to be in the room with you (a chaperone) - this could be someone you know, another nurse or a trained member of staff
ask for a longer appointment if you think you might need more time - some GP surgeries can offer a double booking
let them know if you're finding the test more difficult after going through the menopause - they can prescribe a vaginal oestrogen cream or pessary before the test
ask for a smaller speculum (a smooth, tube-shaped tool that's put into your vagina so they can see your cervix)

Don't

try not to be embarrassed about talking to the nurse or doctor on the day - they're trained to make you feel more comfortable and provide support

What to do if you do not want cervical screening

It's your choice if you want to go for cervical screening. Cervical screening is one of the best ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer.

If you do not want to be invited for screening, you can ask not to be invited (opt out) by:

writing a letter to your GP asking to be taken off their cervical screening list
completing an informed choice form on the Cervical Screening Administration Service (CSAS) website - you can either submit this online yourself or give a completed copy to your GP to submit for you

You can ask your GP to put you back on the list at any time if you change your mind.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

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