Closed petition Lower the age of smear testing in England from 25 to 20 yrs

Closed on 10 August 2012

The NHS say cervical cancer is rare in women under 20, mainly because teenagers' bodies are still developing. Nowadays, in our society, young girls are growing up faster and developing quicker. As women stop growing at approximately 21yrs old, (just after puberty) they are more at risk of health problems, including cell changes in the cervix. Even though doctors are sometimes reluctant to do smear tests on under 25s, I feel it’s important we should have the option to have the opportunity a smear test at a younger age, especially if the individual is sexually active. And as girls/women are developing faster in this day and age, the age should be reduced to be able to have smear tests at least age 20 (or even younger for certain individuals)