Had my first smear test this morning. I wasn't TOO worried but still a bit nervous. I wore a dress and leggings - had to remove leggings and underwear completely but having the dress on meant I didn't feel too exposed. It was slightly uncomfortable (and a bit cold!) but not painful for me and I couldn't feel the scraping at all. The actual procedure could only have last about 30 seconds. I tried to be a relaxed as possible and I am sure this helped everything go smoothly.
I know of people who have had bad experiences but they all built themselves up with worry before they went and ended up too tense.
Hope this helps put some minds at rest and if anyone has any questions about my experience please ask
Thank you for posting - I just booked my first smear and feeling a bit nervous, it's great to read something that isn't a scare story! More people who have positive or neutral experiences should share them, this has resassured me.
Me again - had the test last week, waiting for the results to turn up in the post now. It was all fine, and I agree with the above - good to see plenty of people posting about NOT having a bad time. There seems to be quite a bit of backlash on here about people saying it's nothing to worry about, which is really counter-productive.
The best advice I can give, as someone who put it off for 4 years, is don't dwell too much on scare stories before you have your first smear (I deliberately avoided reading anything that looked negative before I went for the test). Obviously everyone has different experiences, and for some people it is uncomfortable - but it seems that the best thing to do is try to be as relaxed as you can (and I know it isn't easy), and keep an open mind - just because someone had a hard time doesn't mean that you will. And it's far less traumatic than not having been screened and finding out you have problems later on.