Women who have sex with women are often wrongly told they do not need a cervical screening test, say LGBT groups.
This results in half of all eligible lesbian and bisexual women never having had a smear test, they said.
The human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes most cervical cancers, can be transmitted through lesbian sex.
Cervical cancer charities say all women, no matter their orientation, should have regular cervical screening.
LGBT groups say women regularly face barriers to accessing healthcare and can have poor experiences when they do.
The charity Jo‘s Cervical Cancer Trust says all women, regardless of their sexual orientation, should have regular cervical screening.
“As HPV can be transmitted through skin-to-skin in the genital area, gay women [sic] are equally at risk of contracting HPV and experiencing abnormal cervical changes and, thus, should always attend when invited for cervical screening.”
In a study of attitudes to cervical screening among gay [sic] and bisexual women in the north-west of England, carried out by the University of Salford in 2011, 37% of women questioned said they had been told they did not require a cervical screening test because of their sexual orientation.
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Listening to Lesbians 