Following her mother and sister’s experiences with a positive Cervical Screening Test, Eloise knows just how important and life-saving this test can be.
“What I’ve been lucky about with their experiences is that we have really honest conversations in our household about how to maintain cervical health.”
Despite knowing the importance of this test Eloise says that she was really nervous for her first test, but that it wasn’t as bad as she was expecting.
“The first one is always the scariest, but you don’t have to do it alone. If you are really nervous, bring someone with you. This doesn’t have to be something you do on your own.”
Having tried the self-collection test, Eloise is excited that it has provided a choice for everyone with a cervix in how they want to do their test, particularly for those people who are really nervous about it.
“Self-collection for me is creating a safe space within this medical testing for someone who may not feel fully comfortable. That’s a really important feature for such an intimate test”.
She has used the introduction of self-collection to check in with her friends and family on whether they are up to date with their screening and to let them know about the new self-collection test.
If you are due or overdue for a Cervical Screening Test, book in to speak to a doctor or specially trained nurse about your options, including self-collection.
Just like Eloise, we encourage you to spread the word about self-collection to your family and friends and share any providers you’ve had positive experiences with, to help them protect themselves against cervical cancer.
Hear from the other ambassadors on their experiences with cervical screening.