'My first cervical screening was over before I knew it'

Erica Donnelly, 26, who lives in Sunderland, waited about a year to book her screening appointment after receiving an invite.

"I was in a massive panic about it because I have PTSD relating to sexual trauma, so I was really extra nervous about that," she says.

When she finally had the test done last month, she brought her partner with her for support and to help her in case she had a flashback or a panic attack. Having them there also made the experience feel more "comfortable and casual", she says.

Bianca Ionici, 27, who lives in London, says she put off her cervical screening "for at least two years" because of concerns about pain.

But after getting another invite which contained a lot of information about the process, Bianca booked her screening in January.

Other people say they booked their screenings as soon as they could.

Eleanor Gratton, who had her test at the end of last year aged 25, says her friends were scared the process would be "uncomfortable and painful". But as more and more people in her group had their screenings, she says they didn't find this to be the case.

Jessica Tse was "really anxious" before her cervical screening in December.

"I didn't know if it was going to hurt", she says.

But the nurse was "talking to me, distracting me throughout" and explained the procedure "really clearly", she adds.

"Pain-wise, it was uncomfortable and it was something I hadn't felt before," Bianca recalls.

But "it was over before I knew", she says.

Others say they didn't experience any discomfort - like Megan Burns, a social media content creator living in Brighton.

"It was nothing," says Megan, who had her first screening in September aged 25. "I couldn't feel anything." She says the fact she'd already had two children made her less anxious about the experience.

"These nurses have seen everything," Megan adds.

Some people feel under pressure to shave their pubic hair or wear their best underwear, she says. But speaking as a former healthcare worker, Megan says "you're there to do a job, you don't care about these things".

While most people only feel light pain at their appointments, some people do experience more discomfort at their appointments.

"Some people find cervical screening uncomfortable, but it shouldn't be painful," the Eve Appeal says. It notes that some conditions like endometriosis, vaginismus and being menopausal can make the screening painful.

The NHS says that patients are in control of screening and "can ask the nurse to stop at any time".

Jack Latham, a 28-year-old personal trainer living in Kent, says he received his first screening invite aged 25, just after he came out as trans. He says his GP was "incredibly supportive" and there was even a poster in his surgery's waiting room encouraging trans men to have a cervical screening.

Trans and non-binary people who have a cervix should still have regular cervical screenings.

Jack says he'd put off the appointment out of fear, until he went for a blood test in summer 2024 and the nurse offered him a cervical screening on the spot.

Artist Ella Clancy, who produced the display, says common requests included more information about the adjustments available - especially asking for smaller speculums - nurses talking people through exactly what they were doing as they performed the screening and staff being more trauma-aware.

Eleanor says there should be more education around what HPV is. School pupils are typically vaccinated against HPV between year eight and year 10 but Eleanor says it wasn't clear at the time what the jab was for.

Jessica thinks doctors should explain the results using plainer language, and says she had to call her GP for further explanation after receiving her results letter.