A cervical screening test (previously known as a smear test) is not usually recommended while you are pregnant. This is because pregnancy hormones can make it harder to get clear results.
You will usually be told to wait until at least 3 months after you’ve given birth to have your next test.
You can have a screening test if you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding does not affect your test.
If you are trying for a baby
If you are trying to conceive or are going through fertility treatment you can have a cervical screening test if it is due. You do not need early or extra screening if you are not due a test.
If you are pregnant and due for a cervical screening test
If you are pregnant when you are invited for cervical screening, talk to your GP or clinic.
If you had abnormal cells in your cervix before, you may need to be screened while you’re pregnant.
But you will usually be told to wait and book the test 3 months after your baby is born.
HPV positive or abnormal results while you are pregnant
If your cervical screening results are positive for HPV or find abnormal cells in your cervix, it does not mean you have cancer.
Cervical screening is not a test for cancer, it is a test to help prevent cancer developing.
Depending on the results, you may need:
- no treatment
- another cervical screening test in 1 year
- a colposcopy
A HPV infection or abnormal cells on your cervix will have no effect on your pregnancy or your baby.
Having a colposcopy during pregnancy
A colposcopy is safe to have during pregnancy.
If a colposcopy shows changes to the cells on your cervix, you may need another colposcopy. You’ll have this around 3 to 6 months after you give birth. This is to check on the abnormal cells.
It is important to go to all your follow-up appointments, for example a colposcopy, after you had your baby.
Colposcopy treatment and future pregnancies
Sometimes you will need treatment to remove the abnormal cells. Treatment for abnormal cervical cells will not affect your chances of getting pregnant. But you may have a greater risk of a miscarriage or that your baby is born premature, earlier than the due date. This is because treatments that remove small amounts of your cervix (colposcopy) can make the neck of the womb weaker.
Tell your doctor or obstetrician (a doctor who delivers babies) about any treatment you had at the colposcopy clinic if you:
- have had more than 1 treatment
- are pregnant
- are considering a pregnancy
- have had a cone biopsy (this is a surgical procedure to remove a cone-shaped piece of abnormal tissue from the cervix to check for, and sometimes treat, precancerous or cancerous cells)
The benefits of early treatment and prevention of cervical cancer outweigh any risks.