Home   Kent   News   Article

Herne Bay mum who survived cervical cancer urges women to get smear test as one third of women skip appointments

A mum from Herne Bay is pleading with women to go and get their smear test as she was left infertile following a battle with cervical cancer.

Naomi Hougham put off her appointment after giving birth to her son Kyron, who is now three, and believes that early intervention could have prevented a horrific few years of medical trauma and a lifetime of upset.

Naomi hopes her story will encourage other women to take up the offer of free screening

The now 29-year-old was diagnosed in September 2019 - she was first invited to an appointment the year before but couldn't attend as she was pregnant.

After giving birth she said that the smear test "was the last thing to be thinking about", but her partner encouraged her to go to the doctors as she was experiencing symptoms which would turn out to be cancer.

She said: "As soon as I told them my symptoms, they screened me there and then and off the back of that I got a letter saying that they needed to see me.

"I didn't say anything for hours afterwards."

Naomi with her son Kyron
Naomi with her son Kyron

She continued: “Not for one second did I think that would be the outcome.

“It was like I was watching a soap opera. You think, ‘How’s that? I’m healthy, I’m a young woman’.”

Naomi decided to go through with a radical hysterectomy to remove her uterus and cervix, but left her ovaries to allow an option for egg-freezing and surrogacy.

However, she suffered extreme consequences after the surgery and received numerous blood transfusions, being admitted to intensive care with sepsis twice, and she was then told that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.

She was put on a five-week course of chemoradiotherapy and is now completely infertile.

Naomi is devastated that she can no longer have children
Naomi is devastated that she can no longer have children

A new survey of 3,000 women commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) found that embarrassment was the most common reason for not booking a screening appointment - 42% of those who did not attend listed this as the cause of their avoidance.

Naomi added: "I understand why people would be embarrassed but in the grand scheme of things would you rather be embarrassed for five minutes or go through what I went through?

"There will be girls out there who don't have children yet - I'm fortunate that I already had Kyron.

"Nowadays there are so many things that they can do to stop you from getting to the point that I got to, but only if you catch it soon enough.

"It's just five minutes and it can completely change your life."

She hopes her story will encourage other young women to know the symptoms and go for a cervical screening
She hopes her story will encourage other young women to know the symptoms and go for a cervical screening

With the support of the NHS and the DHSC, a major national campaign has now been launched to increase the number of those eligible attending their cervical screening in England.

Celebrities including Linda Robson from Loose Women, Scarlett Moffatt from Gogglebox and 'AFAB' (assigned female at birth) drag queen Victoria Scone from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, are starring in the new campaign film to address common concerns around screening.

The campaign has been called 'Help Us Help You - Cervical Screening Saves Lives' and is being supported by charities, including Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

It encourages those eligible not to ignore the appointment invitation and book in with their GP practice or sexual health clinic as soon as possible.

Latest figures from March 2021 show that nearly 30% of eligible individuals aged between 25 and 64, were not screened.

In England, cervical screening is offered every three years on the NHS to people with a cervix between the ages of 24 and a half and 49.

For those between the ages of 50 and 64, screening is offered every five years.

Cervical screening checks for high-risk types of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) - it is actually a very common virus but usually poses a low risk and any abnormal cells can be identified and treated quickly before they potentially develop into cancer.

Each year, around 2,700 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and of those around 690 will die - this equates to two deaths every single day.

Doctors are so adamant that everyone should take part in screening as estimates show that it could prevent 70% of cervical cancer deaths.

.

The survey found that 42% of respondents missed an appointment because they were embarrassed, 34% "kept putting it off" and 28% were concerned that it would be painful,

However, of those who attended their appointment, 89% said they were glad they attended the screening and would encourage others who are worried to go.

Jeanette Forder is from Phoenix Wellness, a Rochester based women's coaching business encouraging body positivity and an optimistic mental attitude.

She said: "I would suggest that they have a conversation with their girlfriends or other women who have been through it.

"I approach it in the way that although it is intimate, it's a very different relationship that you have with the doctor."

Jeanette offers her advice on how to overcome the smear fear some women face

She continued: "They're not seeing you as that young sexy woman, they see you differently - it's their job that they need to do.

"If you can, start to kind of separate that from the emotion that is involved in that process, then that might help."

Jeanette continued: "Take a friend along, just so that you have someone else in that room, someone else who can give you that confidence.

"There's also a really simple thing - if you're really uncomfortable with it being a male doctor, ask to have a female nurse present or even to do the smear test for you."

She added: "The smear tests are really important, do go and get yourself checked out as it's all part of honouring your body.

"You wouldn't not take your car in for a service, so you should definitely be taking your body in for a service."

The figures also show that around one in 10 don’t feel comfortable discussing a cervical screening with anyone, and just and two in five would talk to their mother.

Jeanette said: "It's quite difficult, I'm not sure that even in my 50s I would necessarily want to be talking to my mother about smear tests, it's not a topic of conversation really.

"I would just say start being your own role model and find the spaces where we can have those conversations - if a young woman wanted to talk to me before a smear test I would be more than happy to help them out."

Women can request a female doctor or nurse if they are uncomfortable with a male completing the screening
Women can request a female doctor or nurse if they are uncomfortable with a male completing the screening

For more information about the signs and symptoms of cervical cancer, click here

For further information about cervical screening, visit the NHS website

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More