The real reason why women aren’t attending their cervical smear tests

Are young women stupid? Apparently, 15 per cent of them would miss a cervical smear appointment for a gym class or waxing appointment. These strange upside-down priorities are outlined in a study of 2,017 women published by charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, which also found that two thirds of those surveyed weren’t aware they were most at risk of the illness.

The charity also found a third of women were too embarrassed to get on with having the test, with 35 per cent saying they were anxious about their body shape, 34 per cent worrying about the appearance of their genitals, and 38 per cent worrying about smell. Sure, cervical smear tests aren’t anyone’s ideal way of spending five minutes, but they also aren’t very difficult to book. Similarly, waxing appointments aren’t very difficult to move, or not double book with a smear test in the first place. Both involve a woman in a state of undress with a stranger tending to their most intimate areas, but only one could save a life.