Woman’s warning as common sex problem turned out to be lethal cancer

A woman hit with advanced cervical cancer at 25 has urged others to attend every screening test—after she delayed her smear due to fears sparked by ‘online horror stories’.

Jasmin McKee, now 26, from Southampton, began suffering lower back pain and bleeding after sex in 2023, but assumed it was due to her newly-fitted copper coil.

The operations manager had also ‘put off’ her cervical screening after reading fear-mongering stories online that suggested the procedure was painful.

But in March 2024, she eventually plucked up the courage to attend the test which, to her horror, confirmed she had the cancer-causing virus, human papillomavirus (HPV). 

Around 99 per cent of all cervical cancers are caused by the HPV virus, which can be spread via sexual contact. 

Doctors also discovered that Ms McKee had abnormal cell changes within her cervix, with a later biopsy confirming the presence of cancer. 

Further scans showed the disease was stage three, meaning it had spread to nearby tissues. 

Around 60 per cent of those diagnosed at this stage won’t survive for longer than five years, according to Cancer Research UK. 

 ‘Everything just goes a bit numb… it’s just such a big shock,’ she said of learning the devastating news. 

‘I didn’t want the people that I love the most feeling sad for me. I just didn’t want them to worry.’

She immediately regretted delaying her screening test. 

‘It was nothing to worry about,’ she said. ‘I was in and out in 10 minutes and, for me, it was painless.

‘[Cervical screening tests] are not an embarrassing thing, the nurses will do 20 of them a day, no one cares. 

‘It’s so quick, it’s nothing to be scared about and they can save your life.’    

Ms McKee underwent surgery in November last year to try and remove the tumour, but doctors were unable to destroy it completely—and it continued to grow.

In January this year, she began radiotherapy, five days a week for three weeks, and decided to tell her family about her diagnosis.

 Unfortunately, scans revealed the radiotherapy had not been effective, and chemotherapy was needed, which she underwent in April. 

She is currently having eight rounds of chemotherapy every three weeks, and is expected to finish treatment in early September 2025.

‘Once I’m better, I’m going to grab every opportunity and get as much happiness out of life as possible,’ she said.

Ms McKee’s story comes in the same week NHS England announced low-risk women aged 25-49 in England will now be invited for cervical screenings every five years, as opposed to every three. 

This change will bring cervical screening in England in line with Scotland, Wales, and other European countries, and aligns screening intervals to that of women aged 50 to 64.

Those who test positive for HPV will be invited back for further checks, more often. 

The approach is based on evidence and expert recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee and is based on analysis from King’s College London showing five-yearly screening is just as safe as three-yearly, with the same number of cancers found.

The NHS say that, while the health service recognises changes to cervical screening can ‘seem worrying’, the new approach is based on robust scientific evidence and an expert recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee.

 ‘The NHS cervical screening programme tests for human papillomavirus (HPV) and uses a better and more accurate test than before,’ said a spokesperson.

‘This means if you test negative for HPV, you don’t need to be screened as often as your risk of developing cervical cancer is very low.

‘If you test positive for HPV, we’ll monitor you more closely with additional tests and follow-up appointments.

‘This personalised approach ensures everyone receives the right level of screening based on their individual risk factors, providing better protection while reducing unnecessary procedures.’

The NHS website says anyone worried about symptoms of cervical cancer should see their GP.

Typical signs include unusual vaginal bleeding—such as during or after sex, between periods or after the menopause—pain during sex or in the lower back, pelvis and/or tummy, and changes to vaginal discharge. 

Research published last year found the UK death rate among women from cervical cancer has dropped by 54 per cent over the last 25 years. 

Experts say this is mostly due to of the HPV vaccine, which is given to teenagers and reduces cervical cancer risk by 90 per cent. 

In 2023 NHS England announced a plan to ‘eliminate’ cervical cancer by 2040, aiming for a prevalence rate of below four per every 100,000 people.