Cervical Smears
Many women each year in the UK will get an abnormal smear result - An abnormal or positive smear result does not mean you have cancer. It does mean that you have some changes in your cervical cells that may eventually develop into cancer and these need to be looked at more closely.
Abnormal changes (also known as dysplasia or dyskaryosis) can be mild, moderate or severe. This is defined as CIN1, CIN2 or CIN3. CIN stands for cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia, which means 'new changes in the outer layer of the cervix'. The numbers 1, 2 and 3 refer to the depth of skin cells affected. CIN1 means the outer 1/3 of the cervix is affected, CIN2 means up to 2/3 of the skin thickness is affected and CIN3 means the full thickness of the cervix is affected.
If you have had an abnormal or positive smear you may have to have a colposcopy, this will help determine whether or not you require further treatment.
Hysterectomy
A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus. There are varying degrees of removal and they may be performed either by an abdominal hysterectomy or a vaginal hysterectomy, depending on the extent of the removal.
A subtotal hysterectomy is where only the main body of the uterus is removed, leaving the cervix in place as well as the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
A total hysterectomy is the removal of the entire uterus, including the cervix, and leaving the fallopian tubes and ovaries in place.
A total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy is the removal of the entire uterus, including the cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
A hysterectomy involves a 3-5 night stay with a recovery period of 4-6 weeks.
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