Improving the uptake of cervical screening among sexual minority women

Abstract

Current public health guidance recommends that everyone who has a cervix, is aged 25–69 and is sexually active undergo cervical screening. International research consistently indicates that the uptake of cervical screening among sexual minority women (e.g. lesbians, wahine takatāpui, bisexual women) is considerably lower than for heterosexual women.

While many sexual minority women do regularly engage in cervical screening, a sizeable minority have either never been for a cervical smear, or if they have been in the past, they have not routinely participated. In a recently published research article (Ellis, 2024) fewer than half of the 206 sexual minority women who participated had regularly engaged in cervical screening. This is comparable to the reported participation rate of Māori and Pasifika women, indicating that sexual minority women may potentially be an ‘at risk’ group for cervical cancer.