Nearly three quarters of survivors (72%) either delay or skip their screenings completely, according to Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust.
Smear tests detect early signs of cervical cancer, with 3,000 cases being diagnosed in the UK every year, but the uptake for tests is at a 20-year low.
A speculum is inserted into the vagina during the checks, meaning it can be uncomfortably intimate for women who have experienced sexual abuse.
One 28-year-old survivor told Cosmo it took her over a year to pluck up the courage to get a smear test – because she received her letter six months after being assaulted while travelling in Europe.
What is a smear test?
- A smear test, or cervical screening test, checks for abnormal cells on the cervix (the entrance to the womb from the vagina).
- If any abnormal cells are found, these can be removed – to stop them becoming cancerous.
- This is a preventative measure, and does not mean you already have cancer.
- For one in 20 women, these checks will pick up some abnormal changes.
- It's possible for sexually active women of any age to develop cervical cancer, but it's most common in women aged 25-29.
- The condition is very rare in women under 25.
- Women aged 25-49 are offered tests every three years, while women between the ages of 50 and 64 are tested every five years.
With the help of her partner, who came to the smear with her, the survivor did finally get tested – but described it as a "triggering" experience that left her feeling "anxious and distressed".
Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust is now working in partnership with Rape Crisis, to educate medics so they can provide emotional support for survivors.
"Cervical screening is an inevitably intimate and invasive process and for some survivors it can trigger memories or even flashbacks," Katie Russell from Rape Crisis said.
"Survivors deserve the same right to important healthcare as everyone else."
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