Early cervical screening study for new mums begins

Tessa Dean, Jo Morrison and Dr Victoria Cullimore are leading the trial

Doctors in Somerset have launched a study into whether women can have cervical screenings six weeks after giving birth, rather than the traditional 12 weeks.

The trial will see women given self-testing kits for Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which can lead to cervical cancer - the most common cancer in young women.

Screening uptake is at an all-time low, according to the NHS, particularly in women with young children.

The team behind the study hope that if it shows screenings at six weeks post-birth are accurate, national policies may change.

They said the idea came about because women had been diagnosed with cervical cancer after missing screenings due to their pregnancies.

Jo Morrison, a consultant gynaecological oncologist at the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Because people are busy, half the people that were due [a test] still hadn't had their smear done by six months after having their baby.

"This was about trying to give people opportunities when they were at the GP to fit it into their otherwise busy lives."

'This is about prevention'

She added the screening could be done at the six-week check-up for new mothers.

Ms Morrison also said the UK was a in a relatively good position, having introduced the screening in 1988, "which has dramatically reduced the number of cervical cancers".

"This isn't about finding cancers early, this is about preventing cancers, because we're finding cell changes over years can develop into a cancer and therefore we're able to find them and treat them," she added.

If the study is successful, the team is hoping to undertake a larger study and question the national screening programme.

Dr Victoria Cullimore, a gynaecological oncology research fellow and obstetrics and gynaecology speciality doctor at the trust, added: "I think it's amazing that we're able to punch above our weight in Somerset to run such a significant study like this.

"It could make such a major change to the care of women and people with a cervix across the country."