Prenatal pap smear and pelvic exam??

[Ahughes]

I had a pelvic exam and pap smear at my first prenatal visit when I was 8 weeks + 5 days. I was due for a pap smear anyways, so the doctor went ahead and did it.

 

[misspriss]

I don't think many pregnant woman in the UK feels they are getting less than adequate prenatal care, where I in the US feel I am being forced to accept more care than I'd prefer.

Also, yes. Yes they do feel like they are getting less than adequate care. A lot of the time.

I do apologize for my assumption, as that is not the impression I have received speaking to women on here!

 

[pgfairy]

I do apologize for my assumption, as that is not the impression I have received speaking to women on here!

I'm so sorry, I wasn't meaning to be snappy there was no need to apologize (pain + hormones probably not tempering myself all that well ). I think you will probably find though that the majority of women on a forum such as this are not having your average, uncomplicated pregnancy. And all credit to the NHS for prenatal care, if you're having complications they seem to be a lot more hands on.

I have two friends who have had babies in the last year. One is Portuguese the other German, both pretty run of the mill pregnancies. They were also both appalled with the services they received in this country. The ones who have never known any better may very well be less inclined to complain though so maybe it's just a case of perspective and what you're used to I do know that there are a number of polish prenatal centers because the polish women were so appalled by the level of care on the NHS.

 

[Tasha]

I don't want to respark any kind of debate but I wanted to address your question about the NHS vs the US private system with regards to pap smears (I don't want to even go anywhere near the scan issue because I have no experience of that in the US).

Basically there is a happy medium in there somewhere. In the UK they really don't DO preventative medicine all that well because it's a drain on the systems funding so they are pretty resistant to any sort of screening or unnecessary testing.....in the US if you go to a doctor they will rule out some of the maybe less common but worse possible diagnoses from the get go. In the UK if you have a serious illness you could be treated like it's just something minor for YEARS before a doctor will test for something more serious.

So with the smears they really go in a severe direction about not doing it regularly. And do you know what, the statistics they quote aren't wrong, it's an incredibly small number of women that actually have issues when they're younger than about 40. But of course if you're one of those incredibly rare women you could end up pretty sick by not getting tested till then (I think they've lowered it and started inviting women over 25 every three years now but it was really bad when I first moved here).

Long story short, I think if you have been having them regularly before your pregnancy and you haven't ever had one come back with problems, there really isn't any point in getting one now it's not like you're going to develop a problem BECAUSE you're pregnant.

On the other hand if you're like me and you've had severe changes come up in the past and had to have part of your cervix removed and you're due for your yearly one to keep an eye on things, you should be able to get one done. (and trust me I had to throw a screaming hissy fit to get one here in the UK at all).

You shouldn't have to fight either way in my opinion, both systems are flawed.

I just wanted to point out it has never been older than 25 in the UK and if you were told that, then you were misinformed. It was actually increased to 25 from 18/sexually active/after first baby a few years ago and that was the big uproar. Some places in the UK (I think Wales and Scotland) still have earlier than the 25 year old.

I also want to say that almost everyone I know is happy with their antenatal care, I live in an area with a very wide range of ladies from different native countries, so it's not because they don't know better (which in itself is not a great assumption to make) but that it is generally good. Not always I know that (more than most) but generally.

 

[pgfairy]

Well then maybe it's just in my area. And I apologize for my wording I didn't mean 'don't know better' I meant 'don't know any different'. When you're used to a different style or quality of care the NHS can be quite a shock. But again, maybe that's just where I lived.

When I was 18 and moved back here from having yearly paps in the US I was told I wouldn't be invited till I was 30. I'm 31 now.

They changed it to 25 not long after that. In my area with my GP at least.

 

[misspriss]

Well then maybe it's just in my area. And I apologize for my wording I didn't mean 'don't know better' I meant 'don't know any different'. When you're used to a different style or quality of care the NHS can be quite a shock. But again, maybe that's just where I lived.

When I was 18 and moved back here from having yearly paps in the US I was told I wouldn't be invited till I was 30. I'm 31 now.

They changed it to 25 not long after that. In my area with my GP at least.

When you are used to something different like the US, and you come on BnB and the quality of care with NHS is quite a shock, but to me it was a good shock, like why can't I have it like that kind of shock!

 

[pgfairy]

... like why can't I have it like that kind of shock!

I would happily trade you if the provisions for maternity leave over there weren't so sucky.

 

[misspriss]

... like why can't I have it like that kind of shock!

I would happily trade you if the provisions for maternity leave over there weren't so sucky.

yep. You just can't win no matter where you are

 

[minties]

I'm quite happy with the NHS in NZ . We interview and choose our own midwife. I can't imagine having random midwives and strangers attending my births.