Yesterday, 8th of May was World Ovarian Cancer Day. You might have seen people holding a white rose, to raise awareness as many women neglect symptoms of ovarian cancer. The rose tag says: “Persistent bloating, persistent stomach pain, weeing more, struggling to eat” are all signs that should be checked out immediately! Just because you have had a smear test, doesn’t mean you are protected from ovarian cancer. There were 33,000 roses handed out around the UK yesterday by Ovarian Cancer Action.
Having said that, many women neglect to have their smear tests, which can prevent other types of cancer, and is what led Treatwell, the leading platform for booking hair and beauty treatments to launch an initiative with Public Health England (in conjunction with their ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives‘ campaign) and 500 salons are already participating in the ‘Life Saving Wax‘ campaign. Cervical screening attendance is at a 20-year low and continues to decline!
Treatwell decided to use the unique relationship between the wax professional and the women visiting the salon to make a positive change and raise awareness about the importance of the smear test. They noticed that the Hollywood wax (all off!) is the most popular, with 1 in 10 women aged 25-34 maintaining their pubic hair, research from Treatwell has found. It’s women between their 20’s and 30’s neglecting their screenings the most, in fact, 38.9% of women between 25-29 don’t go to their screening.

The partnering salons will have take-home cards, posters, and information as well as trained aestheticians that will mention the cervical screening to women attending an intimate waxing session.
In the UK women are invited for the first screening just before their 25th birthday, and then every 3 years until the age of 50. Between 50 and 64, the screening is done every 5 years as long as there haven’t been any abnormalities in previous screenings.
I wanted to share some interesting information from the panel hosted at Treatwell HQ, the cells can be found early on before they become cancerous, and as the intimate waxing is more and more common among women, so should cervical screening be. We need to open up the conversation now!
What is cervical screening?
“Cervical screening (or ‘smear test’) is a regular check of the health of the cervix (the entrance to the womb) and can detect potentially harmful cells before they develop into cancer. Cervical screening is not a test for cancer, but regular screenings can stop cancer before it starts.”
The Treatwell panel

Liz Hambleton, the beauty director of Treatwell said: “We were very shocked that some people had so many years of neglecting especially with the increase in the intimate waxing booking. The therapist will make people more comfortable and has been trained to bring up the subject.”
Emma Gannon, broadcaster, author and podcaster was heading the panel, she said: “It creates a ripple effect, once you talk about it and say oh I’m getting my cervical screening done today.”
Dr. Zoe Williams, GP and TV doctor said: “When we do a screening, we don’t care about anything around it! Just the actual cervix. And the patient’s comfort!
If you are having symptoms, pain or bleeding in between periods – then it’s not a smear that you need but a proper examination. If we refuse it’s not because we don’t want to help you, it’s a different case.”

Reasons people won’t attend a screening
- Education: what is the purpose of the test?
- Fear: If I get a bad test result what does it mean?
- Time: You can find the time once every 3 years, it won’t take more than 30 minutes in total (with the waiting room time!)
- Embarrassment: Many women are embarrassed. If you have a bad experience in the past – ask your doctor or nurse about it. They will help you and comfort you.
Dr. Christine Ekechi, who specialises in gynecology and an advocate for cervical screening said: “One of the groups we identified a few years ago that didn’t attend their screening were black and Asian women. We went to hair salons to speak to them and see what their concerns were. The top thing was that they thought if you’re not particularly active sexually you don’t have to go, which isn’t true.”
“We also target the LGBT community as everyone that has a cervix should go get their screening. From 24.5 until 64 years. Every 3 years as long as your smears are normal. If you have adequate screening up to the age of 64, it’s safe to stop treatment until then as long as smears have been normal,” Dr. Christine noted.
She also mentioned there is a new trial from the NHS of self-sampling at home, to see whether this will make it easier for people to do their screening. Until then, you can ask for a smaller speculum at your screening as they come in different sizes. The norm now is for hospitals and practices to use a plastic one, so even if they have a metal speculum (these used to be around a long time ago and aren’t common, they tend to be more uncomfortable), just ask for a plastic one!
Dr. Christine also said there are some changes taking place this year: “They first check for HPV, and if they see high-risk abnormalities in cells then they will test more and have a colposcopy if necessary.”
Hannah Witton, YouTuber, and author said: “I filmed my first screening to help my audience. Getting a wax is more normalised and it’s easier to feel comfortable. A lot of people that have sexual trauma or abuse or have vaginism may feel uncomfortable.”
These of course are very real barriers. In regards to them, Dr. Zoe said: “Just book an appointment so we can talk about it and see how we can support you to get the testing.” Doctors are here to help, just speak to them!
Also remember, the cervical screening looks at precancerous cells, it’s not only connected to cancer. The HPV vaccine doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go to get your screening!
There are other charities raising awareness on the importance of screening, like the Eve Appeal. Athena Lamnisos, its CEO said: “As a gynecological cancer charity, we know how important it is to normalise conversations around screening and gynae health. Reaching women in their daily lives with bite-sized health information is vital. If you haven’t been for a screening appointment before or you’ve been putting off, your hairdresser or beauty therapist mentioning it might be just the nudge you need.”
Professor Anne Mackie, Director of Screening Programmes at PHE said: “Two lives are lost every day to cervical cancer but this needn’t be the case. Cervical screening can stop cancer before it starts as the test identifies potentially harmful cells before they become cancerous and ensures women get the right treatment as soon as possible. The decline in numbers getting screened, particularly those aged between 25 – 34, is a major concern as it means millions of women are missing out on a potentially life-saving test. We are thrilled that Treatwell want to start more conversations about screening with women. We hope more will feel informed, confident and choose to attend.”
Advice to make your screening more comfortable
- Speak to your nurse: they’re trained and they want you to be comfortable
- Wear a loose skirt: so you don’t have to completely undress, which personally makes me feel better and covered
- Listen to music: or something that helps you relax. Don’t forget to breathe! Holding your breath will make everything much more difficult
- The whole process won’t last more than 5 minutes, you got this! It will be over before you know it!