Cervical screening (also known as a smear test) is when a doctor or nurse takes a sample of cells from your cervix (this is the narrow part of the uterus (womb) that joins to the top of the vagina).
These cells are then tested for certain types of HPV (human papillomavirus) that are ‘high risk’, which means types of HPV that could potentially lead to cancer. Cervical screening is not a test for cancer, it’s a test to help prevent cancer.
Screening is offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64. Eligible people are invited by letter, usually six months before they turn 25 and then every three years after that until they turn 49. Between 50 and 64 you’ll be invited every 5 years.
