Cervical screening, which used to be called smear test, is a test to check the health of the cervix and help prevent cervical cancer. It’s offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64.
Cervical screening checks the health of your cervix and helps find any abnormal changes before they can turn into cancer. It’s not a test for cancer, it’s a test to help prevent cancer.
Cervical screening checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). These types of HPV can cause abnormal changes to the cells in your cervix and are called “high risk” types of HPV. If high risk types of HPV are found during screening, the sample of cells is also checked for abnormal cell changes. If abnormal cells are found, they can be treated so they do not get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
For useful information: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-screening/
