| Services | Cervical Smear Test

Private Smear Test & HPV Test Belfast

Private cervical smear and HPV testing at our Belfast city centre clinic, performed by experienced female doctors. UKAS accredited Lab in London. Tests for HPV & Cytology. Results within 7 days.

What to expect from your smear test

All smear tests at Vitalis Health are performed by experienced female doctors in a calm, comfortable setting. Results are emailed directly to you within one week of your appointment.

Private Smear Test

£220

Smear tests, also known as a PAP test or PAP smear, are a form of screening for abnormal cells of the cervix before cancer develops.

Having a regular smear can prevent cancer of the cervix developing by detecting slightly abnormal cells or pre-cancerous cells and starting treatment early.

All smears are performed by an experienced female doctor and take 5 – 10 minutes.

The doctor will do their best to ensure you are at ease and comfortable before performing the smear test
If you would like a chaperone – someone to come with you and be present during the smear test – just let us know. Either you can bring someone with you to your appointment or one of our female staff can be present also

Book Online

Important Information

Please note, if you have had a previous smear with the NHS within the last 12 weeks, you cannot have a repeat smear at Vitalis Health until 12 weeks have passed.

Collecting a sample within this time frame can result in missing abnormal cells that may have been brushed away during the first smear and so our sample is inadequate.

You may want to avoid having a smear test if you are heavily menstruating (having your period), or if you have used a pessary to treat thrush. It’s best to book your appointment between periods.

What else can smear tests detect?

A smear test can also pick-up the presence of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which is associated with cancer of the cervix.

If you have never been sexually active, it is unlikely you will develop cervical cancer without exposure to the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

If you are not currently sexually active but have been in the past, you should still get regular smear tests. The UK government offers smears every three years to all women from the age of 25 to 65 years to screen for cancer of the cervix.

Smear tests look for the presence of HPV and also look at the shape of the cells on the cervix to see whether they are normal, slightly abnormal, precancerous, or in some cases cancerous.

It is important to have regular smear tests as this is the only way to pick up cervical cancer early and then start treatment early.

Book your smear test online, or call our team on 028 9691 3000

Why Choose Vitalis Health for a Private Smear Test

Female doctors only

All smear tests at Vitalis Health are performed exclusively by experienced female doctors, ensuring you feel as comfortable as possible.

Results within 7 days

All smear test and HPV results are returned within one week and emailed directly to you, so you're never left waiting and wondering.

20+ years' experience

Our female doctors bring over 20 years of medical experience to every smear test, ensuring your care is in highly experienced and capable hands.

Belfast city centre location

Our clinic is located in the heart of Belfast city centre, easily accessible by public transport from across Northern Ireland and beyond.

UKAS accredited lab

We use the Doctors Laboratory in London. It is UKAS accredited. The test used is the Hologic Aptima. The Aptima HPV Assay is one of the only mRNA-based HPV tests. It targets E6/E7 oncoproteins to identify the active, high-risk infections most likely to lead to cervical cancer, resulting in fewer false positives than traditional DNA testing.

Hear from our patients across Belfast

Verified Google reviews from patients who’ve experienced our personalised care.

James Simpson

3 weeks ago

I’ve used Vitalis private health services on a couple of occasions for vaccine and blood test. From the outset, I found them to be warm, welcoming, friendly and very professional. Chloe at the reception always makes you feel invited, and relaxed for whatever reason you are attending, Dr. Sarah is warm, friendly and very informative. Highly recommend Vitalis as your go to private GP service. Thank you both.

S S

1 month ago

Great service and affordable prices ,I would like to especially thank Chloe who went out of their way to help me organise papers from my GP ,I was struggling few days with this and with her help it was sorted within couple of hours , thank you :)

John Lee

1 month ago

There is nothing but great things to say about Vitalis Health Belfast. Everyone I have met there are fantastic and show they really care. No better place

Your GP team at Vitalis Health

All our doctors are NHS-trained, GMC registered, and passionate about supporting patients in achieving long-term health improvements.

Save with a Vitalis Health Membership

From £20 per month

Regular GP care? Our membership plans offer discounted appointment rates, priority booking, and annual health checks.

Private Smear Test FAQs

We’ve answered the most common questions about private cervical smear tests below. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, our team is happy to help.

In the UK, cervical smear screening by the government is carried out every 3 years from age 25 to 49, and every 5 years from age 50 to 64 years of age.

Whereas in other countries like Germany the smear test is performed annually from age 20 to 34 years of age.

But you can have a smear privately in the UK from the age of 20 if you are sexually active and you wish to monitor the health of your cervix, or if you have any symptoms that suggest infection of the cervix or possible disease.

If you are not sexually active smears are generally not recommended unless you have any symptoms like unusual vaginal discharge, bleeding after or between periods or pelvic pain.

Someone in your family may have had cervical cancer and so you may want more regular check-ups to know your cervix is in good health.

Or, you may want a smear done before the age 25 if you are sexually active or have any other symptoms of disease of the cervix such as painful sexual intercourse, bleeding after sexual intercourse, pain in you lower pelvis, bleeding between periods, or vaginal discharge that your are worried about.

Maybe you would prefer a more relaxed and comfortable setting where you have time to talk to the doctor.

Or maybe you need an appointment to suit your schedule

The cervix is viewed using a plastic speculum to open the vaginal canal.

A gel is used to make the process easy and pain-free, though it can be uncomfortable for many women. In these cases the doctor will ask you to breath deeply to relax, which helps relax the muscles in the vaginal canal. When you are relaxed a small brush is passed towards the cervix and brushed over the end of the cervix to collect some surface cells.

The cells will be sent to the laboratory to look for both the Human papilloma virus and to look at the shape and type of cells that are present.

In some parts of the UK only HPV is tested and if this is present then the cells are properly examined for abnormality.

We feel it is more thorough to perform both tests on the smear to ensure that the cells from the cervix also look normal even if HPV is not present.

Read more about the Uk Government’s cervical screening programme.

Yes. We use the Aptima HPV Assay. This is one of the only mRNA-based HPV tests. It targets E6/E7 oncoproteins ( cancer proteins) to identify the active, high-risk HPV infections most likely to lead to cervical cancer. As a result there are fewer false positives than traditional DNA testing.

Yes, we also check the cytology from the cervical cells to see if they are normal, precancerous, or cancerous.

You will receive both results.

Yes, we use the Doctors Laboratory in London which is UKAS accredited.

Private Smear Test & HPV Test Belfast