Women are often very good at looking after everyone else.
Work, family, appointments and everyday life can quickly fill the calendar, while our own preventative health checks are quietly pushed further down the list.
This Women’s Health Week, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BRHS) is encouraging women across East Gippsland to take a moment to think about their own health, including whether they are up to date with cervical screening.
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, and cervical screening is one of the most effective ways of protecting against it.
A Cervical Screening Test looks for human papillomavirus (HPV), a very common virus that causes almost all cervical cancers.
Under the National Cervical Screening Program, women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 74 who have ever been sexually active are generally recommended to have a Cervical Screening Test every five years.
BRHS Women’s and Sexual Health Nurse Heather Daly said it was an important health check that could easily be forgotten or postponed.
“Life gets busy and it can be very easy for preventative health appointments to fall down the list,” Heather said.
“If you are due, overdue or simply aren’t sure when you last had a Cervical Screening Test, we encourage you to have the conversation and make an appointment.”
For people who may feel uncomfortable about having a clinician collect their sample, self-collection is also available. You still need to see a nurse to arrange the test, answer the required screening questions and ensure your results are followed up appropriately, but the sample itself can be collected privately.
Heather said that conversation with a women’s health nurse could sometimes provide an opportunity to address other concerns as well.
Recently, a woman came to BRHS’s Ross Street Clinic expecting simply to collect a self-collection kit.
Instead, she met with Heather, completed the screening process at the clinic and was also able to discuss some other health concerns.
“She told me afterwards that she was so pleased she had seen me rather than simply being handed a kit, because it gave her the opportunity to talk about some other issues and be directed back to her GP for further management,” Heather said.
It is an important reminder that the BRHS Cervical Screening and Women’s Health Clinic is about more than a single test.
Women can also attend the clinic for women’s health information, advice and support, helping connect them with appropriate care when something doesn’t feel right or they simply have questions about their health.
“Sometimes making that first appointment is the hardest part,” Heather said.
“But looking after your own health is important, and we’re here to make that conversation as comfortable and straightforward as possible.”
Call 5152 0131 for more information.
