A woman who was diagnosed with a third stage cervical cancer, 25 years old, delayed a regular smear test, initially thought her symptoms were associated with her newly applied copper coil.
Jasmin McKee, who is now 26, said from Southampton, Hampshire, that 2023 Began to experience lower back pain and bleed after sex.
Despite its concern, she postponed the cervical selection by 2024. March, recognizing that she was given “horror stories on the Internet”.
Five weeks later, she was told that she was HPV positive with many abnormal cells, despite being vaccinated at school. This was later confirmed as the third stage of cervical cancer, which means that the cancer spread to the surrounding tissues.
The diagnosis made it feel “numb”.
Jasmin was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 25 (collected/pa)
She said she underwent surgery in 2024. November, and radiotherapy 2025. January, but when both were unsuccessful, April. She started chemotherapy.
She shaved her head hoping for hair loss with her six -year -old daughter Darcy May Rose, holding 12 cm hair.
Jasmin, which is expected to end treatment in 2025. September, says the experience emphasized the importance of cervical screening, and it criticized the NHS England’s decision to change HPV negative inspection for those between the ages of 25 and 4 to five.
“When there are major changes like this one, they may feel that they (NHS England) do not really take women’s health seriously,” she said.
“I think this was probably one of my first thoughts when I first read about change … It may feel quite rejected.
Jasmin began bleeding after sex and in 2023. Experience of the lower back (collected/pa)
“It’s a terrible idea that there may be women going under the radar.”
2023 March Jasmin had a copper coil and at the same time began to suffer from pain in the lower back, bleed after sex and irregular periods, which she thought was due to the intrauterine device (IUD).
That December, she was 25 years old and postponed the cervical selection, reading “horror stories on the Internet”, and finally participating in 2024. March
“I had entered and in 10 minutes and it was painless to me,” she said.
Jasmin felt “numb” after receiving diagnosis (collected/pa)
About five weeks later, she said doctors confirmed that it was positive for HPV, with many abnormal changes in cells.
Two weeks later, she said she had a biopsy, internal and external ultrasound, and for another two weeks she was told she had a third stage of cervical cancer.
“Everything is just a little numb … It’s just such a big shock,” she said.
“The thought came to me, ‘What will I tell my grandparents?”
“I really didn’t tell my family for quite some time.
Jasmin underwent surgery hoping to remove the tumor, but it was unsuccessful (collected/pa)
“I didn’t want the people who felt the most saddest at me. I just didn’t want them to be excited.”
Jasmin said doctors later confirmed that its previous symptoms were signs of cervical cancer, not a coil.
Jasmin said she underwent surgery in 2024. November to try to remove the tumor in the cervix, but doctors could not completely remove it and continued to grow to two to five centimeters.
2025 January She started radiotherapy five days a week three weeks and decided to tell her family about her diagnosis.
Jasmin is currently suffering from chemotherapy (collected/pa)
“They were upset, but supportive, I felt bad that I didn’t tell them,” she said.
“(Radiotherapy) just made me feel so tired, I was able to sleep 24 hours a day.”
Unfortunately, scanning revealed that radiotherapy was not effective and Jasmin started chemotherapy in 2025. April
“I was just disappointed after I survived it ton’t work. It felt meaningless,” she said.
Doctors said there is a good chance that she may lose her hair, so she shaved her head to remain “controlled” and gave her hair a “little princess confidence,” so wigs for children and young people.
Jasmin with niece Darcy May (collected/pa)
Her niece Darcy May also cut 12 cm of her hair support, so Jasmin “exploded to tears”.
It now has eight rounds of chemotherapy every three weeks, and the treatment is expected to be completed in 2025. In early September.
“When I get better, I will take every opportunity and get as much happiness as possible from life,” she said.
The main symptoms of cervical cancer
NHS
Symptoms of cervical cancer include:
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Vaginal bleeding
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Changes in your vaginal discharge
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Pain in the lower back, between hip bones (pelvis) or lower tummy
According to the NHS of England, since 2025 In July Younger women between the ages of 25 and 49, which check the negative HPV, mean that they are very low in cervical cancer – they will be invited to check every five years instead of three.
This approach is based on evidence and expert recommendations by the UK National Selection Committee and is based on analysis of King’s College London, indicating that five years’ selection is as safe as three years and the same number of cancer has been found.
This change will bring cervical inspection in England, taking into account Scotland, Wales and other European countries, and will match the inspection intervals with women aged 50-64, where they are invited every five years.
However, Jasmin believes that the change is a step in the wrong direction.
Jasmin’s niece cut her hair in solidarity (collected/pa)
“This (cervical selection) does not always make the diagnosis, but it is just to be on the safe side,” she said.
“Obviously, every three years is a long time, but I think a lot can happen in five years, and then someone may not know about cancer or anything else before it is too late, and this could be avoided by performing more common smear tests.
“So I think (change) is frustrated with reading.”
Currently, any woman with HPV or recent HPV history of recent HPV will continue to be invited to more frequent inspections to check that the virus has cleaned and, if not, to check for changes in the cervix.
Looking at his experience, Jasmin understood the importance of cervical screenings and urges other women to immediately meet their meetings.
Jasmin was nervous that there was an initial cervical check (collected/pa)
She said, “They (cervical selection tests) are not a shameful thing, nurses will do 20 of them a day, no one cares.
“It’s so fast that you need to be afraid of and they can save your life.”
A NHS England spokesman said: “We acknowledge that changes to the cervical screening may seem anxiety, but they want to reassure everyone that this new approach is based on strong scientific evidence and an expert recommendation from the UK National Selection Committee.
“NHS cervical selection program tests to human papillomavirus (HPV) and use a better and more accurate test than before.
“This means that if you try a negative HPV, you do not need to be tested as often as your cervical cancer risk is very low.
“If you try a positive HPV, we will monitor you more closely with additional tests and further meetings.
“This individualized approach ensures that everyone is eligible for the right selection, based on their individual risk factors, providing better protection while reducing unnecessary procedures.”
The NHS site says anyone worried about cervical cancer symptoms should see their general practitioner.
Visit Jasmin’s Gofundme here.