Cervical cancer screening

• Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. The cancer develops slowly through precancerous conditions. Prolonged human papillomavirus infection (HPV) is the most significant single risk factor.
• HPV, which mainly spreads through sexual contact, is very common: most people will contract HPV at some point in their lives and it is almost always symptomless.
• Usually HPV disappears on its own in a few years. However, sometimes the infection becomes prolonged, which may cause cellular changes and precancerous conditions.
• In addition to HPV, other cancer risk factors include smoking, factors that cause immune deficiency, and sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia.
• In Finland, cervical cancer is currently fairly rare thanks to cervical screening. Around 170 new cases are diagnosed every year.
• Unlike several other cancers, cervical cancer occurs in young women as well, cervical cancer starts to become more common already after 30 years of age.

• All women aged 25 to 65 are invited to screening tests by HUS every five years. Cervical cancer screening is free of charge. In 2025, women born in 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000 will be invited for testing.
• The invitees are selected from the Population Information System by year of birth, so you do not need to register separately to get an invitation, and you cannot refuse receiving the invitation either.
• We strongly recommend participating in the screening regardless of your sexual activity, contraceptive method, or sexual orientation. You should also participate in the screening even if you have received an HPV vaccine or if you have had a hysterectomy. 
• People who have confirmed their gender to be male in the Population Information System are not invited to the screening automatically, because the invitations are based on the gender entered in the Population Information System. However, these people are entitled to free cervical cancer screening. If you have confirmed your gender to be male and wish to participate in the screening, please contact the laboratory customer service.

• You will be pre-booked for an appointment, and you will be notified of this in a letter sent to your home address. If the pre-booked appointment is not convenient, you may reschedule it online or by calling our customer service. You may also cancel the appointment if you do not wish to participate in the screening.
• To reschedule or cancel online, you need the reservation key and PIN, which you will find in your invitation letter.
• You can make an appointment at any HUS laboratory that collects cervical screening samples regardless of your home municipality.
• If you have a mobility impairment, please contact our customer service. Also contact us if you have previously had any difficulty with sampling in connection with the screening. 

Reschedule or cancel your booking online

See here for contact details for the laboratory customer service

• We receive information about those eligible for screening from the Population Information System.
• We send out screening invitations according to date of birth in three batches: 
  
  The 1st batch: invitees born between the 1st and the 10th of the month, invites will be     mailed from March through June.
  
  The 2nd batch: invitees born between the 11th and the 20th of the month, invites will be mailed from June through October.
  
  The 3rd batch: invitees born between the 21st and the 31st of the month, invites will be mailed from October through December.

• Make sure that you belong to the age group that is currently screened. See "Who is invited to cervical cancer screening?"
• Invitations are sent at a steady pace throughout the year. If you have not received your invitation by the end of the year, you can contact the Diagnostic Center’s customer service.
• If you have moved to Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso, or South Karelia from elsewhere in Finland or from abroad, you can contact the laboratory customer service to participate in the screening.

See here for contact details for the laboratory customer service

• If you have a valid non-disclosure for personal safety reasons, then we cannot obtain your address details from the Population Information System for mailing invitations to you.
• You must then book an appointment for sampling either online or by calling the laboratory customer service.
• You can book a screening appointment during the year your age group is invited for screening. You can check which age groups are invited under the section "Who is invited to cervical cancer screening?".

See here for contact details for the laboratory customer service

• Please bring your KELA card or other ID to the screening appointment along with the cervical cancer screening form on paper that you were sent by mail. Please fill in the form before arriving for your appointment.
• You can print the screening form below if necessary. Please note that if you fill out the form on a computer, you still need to print it out and bring it with you to the screening appointment.
• If you cannot print out the screening form or if you have lost it, please be prepared to answer the questions on the form at the appointment.
• Avoid using vaginal suppositories and gels (excluding Vagifem) for 1–2 days before sample collection.

• If you are pregnant, it is generally possible to take a screening sample up until week 35 of the pregnancy. The sampling does not pose any hazard to your pregnancy.
• After childbirth, the sample can be taken once the postpartum bleeding has stopped completely.
• You may participate in the screening even if you are breastfeeding.

• Screening sampling is not recommended if you are having your period, but any other discharge does not prevent sampling.
• You should participate in the screening even if you have had a hysterectomy.

• Samples are taken by a specially trained nurse.
• The Pap smear sample is collected with a brush from the cervix, after which the brush is rinsed in a liquid-filled vial.
• If you have had a hysterectomy, the nurse will take a sample from your vagina using a brush.
• You may feel a slight pinch when the sample is taken, and you may experience minor spotting afterwards.
• The entire visit takes about 10 minutes, and the actual sampling only takes a couple of minutes.
• Only gynecological samples can be taken at the screening appointment.

• You will receive the results home by mail or to OmaPosti within about two (2) months of the sampling. If nothing abnormal is found, you will receive your next invitation to screening in approximately five (5) years.
• The results will not be transferred to My Kanta or the Maisa portal.
• In the case of abnormal findings, you will receive a letter with instructions on further examinations. You will also receive a separate invitation to the further examinations by letter to your home address or by phone.  Any further examinations required will be made at a gynecological outpatient clinic in your area.
• In the case of slight cell changes, it is sufficient to have a control sample taken within two years. For this sampling as well, you will receive a personal invitation. If you have obtained an order of non-disclosure for personal safety reasons (turvakielto), we cannot send you an invite. Instead, you must book a screening appointment yourself after two years.
• The screening shows your status at the time when the sample is taken. For the majority of women, the test results are normal, i.e. with no indications of HPV infection or cell changes in the cervix. Even if cell changes are found, in most cases they are slight and do not indicate cancer or pre-cancer.