Screening is available at all health centers. It is also possible to visit gynecologists.

Those who have received an invitation letter can:

• Attend a walk-in at a health center.

• Make an appointment at a health center.

• Look at available time slots and locations and book an appointment at a conveniently located health center.

If you wish to decline a screening invitation or are uncertain about participating (for example, due to previous surgeries), please contact the Coordination center for cancer screenings (CCCS).

• Phone 513 6700 workdays from 8:30am to 12pm

• Email: krabbameinsskimun@heilsugaeslan.is

Consultation: If you are unsure whether you should attend a screening you can consult your doctor or a nurse at CCCS.

• Brochure from the Directorate of Health: Screening for cervical cancer in Icelandic (.pdf) English (.pdf), in Polish (.pdf).

• Screening for cervical cancer on the Heilsuvera website.

Invitation letters for screening are sent to everyone with a cervix:

• Aged 23 to 29 years old, every 3 years.

• Aged 30 to 64 years old, every 5 years.

Screening is conducted by specially trained midwives and nurses and takes about 10 minutes. A sample is taken from the cervix and sent for analysis to look for cell changes.

The HPV virus can cause cellular changes that are in most cases asymptomatic. This is why we offer regular screenings. Detecting cellular changes makes it possible to treat them before they develop into cancer.

Yes, HPV vaccination does not provide protection against all HPV types that can cause cellular changes in the cervix.

The test results are sent through Heilsuvera and island.is once they are available. If further analysis or monitoring is needed due to cell changes the health center follows up in collaboration with Landspítali University Hospital and Akureyri Hospital.

The aim of cervical screening is to detect cellular changes. For such changes to develop an HPV infection must be present. Screening with HPV testing detects approximately 95 percent of all high-grade cellular changes, compared with about 80 percent when cytology alone is used. If an HPV infection is present will almost certainly be detected.

Please contact the Coordination Center for Cancer Screenings.

In most cases, the immune system is able to clear HPV infection and low-grade cellular changes on its own, and therefore time is allowed for the body to resolve the infection naturally. It can take the immune system one to two years to eliminate the virus.

• Cell changes are not cancer.

• You do not feel it if cell changes are present.

• If cell changes are detected and treated in time, it is possible to prevent them from causing cervical cancer.

If the cervical sample was taken by a gynecologist, you should contact the physician directly. If the sample was taken at a health center, the staff at Landspítali will contact you to schedule an appointment for a colposcopy.

No, you do not need more frequent cervical cancer screening if you carry a BRCA gene mutation. BRCA mutations are associated with breast and ovarian cancer, but they are not linked to cervical cell changes or cervical cancer.

No, there is no indication for increased frequency of screening for individuals who are on immunosuppressive medication.

No, because cervical cancer is caused by HPV, which is transmitted through sexual contact, and is therefore not linked to heredity.

It is best to contact the Coordination center for cancer screenings or a midwife in antenatal care to assess each case individually.

Yes, but it is important to inform the gynecologist performing the colposcopy about the pregnancy in advance.

Cellular changes mean that the cells appear abnormal. In most cases, these changes are caused by an inflammatory response, which usually resolves on its own.

When cellular changes require treatment, they can in most cases be removed with a conization procedure. During a conization, the doctor removes a cone-shaped section from the front of the cervix. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia in a hospital.

HPV is a virus that is transmitted between people. If the infection persists over a long period, the virus can cause cellular changes and cervical cancer. Because the infection is usually asymptomatic, regular screening is recommended.