Woman Live Streams Herself Getting A Smear Test To Raise Awareness

It seems that no matter what, people will put off going to the doctors for anything.

The mantra of "it'll be alright," or "it's probably nothing," is often bounced around when a possible symptom occurs, and so a potential illness can't be diagnosed or treated at the right time.

For men, the idea of having your prostate checked, or going through an examination for testicle cancer is waived as they may not feel comfortable with someone touching those areas. For women it can be the same for smear and breast tests.

As a way of recognising these problems, as well as raising awareness for them, Anna Cribb decided to live stream herself going through a cervical screening procedure.

The 40-year-old who vlogs, underwent the relatively painless test, which lasted no longer than a minute, in order to show others how easy it is and to get them to do the same.

Credit: Channel Mum/SWNS

"Having had abnormal smear test results when I was younger that resulted in laser treatment and a colposcopy I might not be here today to make this live video if I hadn't gone for my routine cervical screening," Anna said. "If I could encourage one person to go to their appointment by proving today that the test is not awful then this has been worth it.

"I want to remove the stigma and fear that so many women have of these tests. Having your smear may save your life."

According to the Mirror, NHS Digital reported that 2016 was the second year running that screening rates had fallen in Britain. Only one in four women attended tests they were invited to, meaning that of 4.2 million, only three million booked.

Credit: SWNS

"A quarter of young women don't attend their smear tests, and that's costing lives," Cathy Ranson, editor of Channel Mum said. "There is a real fear the procedure is painful and embarrassing, but that isn't the case.

"As the video shows, it's over in a couple of minutes and while it may be mildly uncomfortable, this is a small price to pay to save a life.

"We hope women of all ages are reassured by how quick and easy it is. So please, book your appointment today and stay safe."

It's similar with prostate cancer, too. However, with sites such as Prostate Cancer UK, who offer support online and via helplines, there's been an increase in men who talk about it and book themselves tests.

Topics: Cancer

Mark McGowan

Mark is a journalist at LADbible, who joined in 2015 after a year as a freelance writer. In the past he blogged for independent football fan channel Redmen TV, after graduating from Staffordshire University with degrees in journalism and English literature. He has worked on campaigns such as UOKM8? and IIOC.