Closed petition Beat Cervical Cancer. Smear Tests should be available from the age of 21 & available at least every 2 years

Closed on 10 August 2012

The current guidance is that smear tests should be only performed by a GP from the age of 25 and at three yearly intervals.

Cervical cancer takes only 5 years to develop and can have a fatal impact if not detected early, in a best case scenario it will jeopardise a woman's fertility. 3 yearly tests are sufficient to detect potential cancer cells before it is too late especially at smear are not a fully effective and deterministic test.

Cervical cancer is now becoming more common in younger women and the government’s policy of increasing the age limit to 25 is irresponsible.

Smear tests can in indicators of the potential for Cervical Cancer and although they can be stressful and invasive, the benefits far outweigh this and the cost.