Why do transgender people struggle to get cervical screening?
Cervical cancer is largely preventable. In the UK, our effective cervical screening programme means that abnormal cell changes and HPV can be detected early. But trans, non-binary and intersex people face challenges and discrimination which prevent them getting the cervical screening they need.
Cervical screening is a prime example of the struggles transgender, non-binary and intersex people experience in healthcare. People who have cervixes but don’t identify as women face barriers when accessing potentially life-saving screenings because of issues with computer systems, discrimination from staff and fears about how they will be treated.