Hi Everyone
I recently went for my first smear test in January (I'd been building myself up for it for about a year!) and although the nurse was lovely and the actual experience was no problem at all she made a few comments that have been bugging me. Firstly she had there was a lot of discharge and she even said that she may not be able to get enough cells and said it may be thrush, anyway I got my results last week and they are normal. Although this is a great result I feel that the nurse made such a thing about the discharge etc. that it must not be normal and there might be an issue. I doesn't help that the reason I finally made myself get the smear was because about a year ago I had some abnormal bleeding, it was quite a bit but only lasted an evening, I know I should have gone to a doctor then but I was too scared so left it (I didnt mention this to the nurse). I'm 25 and not on any contraception so its nothing to do with that. Should I be worried and go back to my doctor about this? Any comments and advice would be very helpful!
H
The last time I had my smear test the nurse said there wasn't enough discharge. Also, could you have been ovulating at that time? As when you ovulate it is natural to have a lot of discharge.
If you're unsure and it is worrying you, pop back to see your doctor to give you peace of mind.
As for the blood, stress could have caused it and also your body goes through changes now and then. But again if you're worried speak to your GP.
I've not had great experiences with nurses at my GP's Clinic either.
I also have reservations about nurses taking smears. Just because they've been taught to take a smear, doesn't mean they've got any other gynaecological expertise. It's not the amount of discharge that's important, it's whether it is normal or not. If she thought it wasn't normal, why didn't she take a swab, or refer you to the doctor? Normal discharge is white and creamy and odourless, or might have a slightly acidic (vinegary) smell. At the time of ovulation, discharge can be colourless and stringy and stretchy (like raw egg white). The discharge of thrush is white, but 'curdy' - it has little bits in it. It would also make you sore and itchy, so if you had that you would know about it. As for the bleeding you had over a year ago - if it was an isolated incident that hasn't happened again, and you have no other symptoms (e.g. pain, or an abnormal discharge), it was probably just due to a hormone imbalance and nothing to worry about.