Smear Test

A smear test is used for cervical screening. It is a simple procedure where the Doctor or Nurse takes a sample of cells from the cervix to look for early changes. A smear test can identify cell changes before they become cancer cells. The best time to have a smear test performed is between days 10-20 of your cycle.

Who should have a smear test?

Every woman aged between 25 and 65 should have a regular smear test and continue to have regular smear tests until after the menopause. If you are aged over 65 years and have never had a smear test, please make an appointment to see a Doctor or Nurse to discuss your cervical needs. Cervical Check is a Government funded service. Cervical screening tests which are free to women aged from 25 – 65 years old. Free smears are every 3 – 5 years unless otherwise indicated. If for any reason, you have both a consultation and a smear test, the consultation fee is payable. Please telephone the reception team, for an appointment, and please ensure you bring your PPS number.

Results

Results are usually back within 4-5 weeks,  once we have the result we will inform you of same by post, and also when your next smear test is due. We will also send you a reminder letter nearer your next smear test due date.

If you are not within the free cervical screening catchment or wish to have yearly smear tests performed, your smear test will be sent to a private company called Biomnis Labs. The result is usually back within 1-2 weeks. This service does incur a consultation and test fee. Please ask the reception team for the current price if you wish to avail of the private smear test.

Family Planing Services

We offer a full range of family planning services which we hope meet the needs of our patients.

These include:

  • Oral Contraceptive Pills
  • Injectable Contraceptive
  • Mirena Coil Fitting and Removal
  • Copper Coil fitting and Removal
  • Emergency Contraception
  • Implanon Fitting and Removal
  • Counselling and referral for sterilisation
  • Investigation for infertility
  • Pre-conceptual screening.

Mother and Child Care

We at Carrig Medical Centre are covered under the Mother and Child Scheme, which gives our Mums to be, free pregnancy consultations. The scheme covers you for 7 pregnancy related surgery visits during your pregnancy, your baby’s 2 week check and you and your baby’s 6 week check. Any unrelated pregnancy visits (e.g. chest infections etc) will incur a surgery consultation charge.

We also provide the following:

  • Pregnancy testing
  • Shared care with Consultant Obstetrician
  • Foetal Monitoring (Doppler)
  • Pre-conceptual counselling
  • Miscarriage Counselling

Harmony Prenatal Test

We are delighted to be able to offer this cutting-edge DNA test to all expectant Mums.
Non-invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) analyses cell-free DNA circulating in the pregnant mother’s blood.
It is a new option in prenatal screening for Down syndrome (trisomy 21) and other common chromosomal conditions (trisomies 18 and 13), X and Y chromosome conditions.
This test can be requested for any singleton pregnancy, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) pregnancies with egg donors. It can now also be requested for ALL twin pregnancies (without X or Y) conceived naturally or by IVF using the patient’s own egg or a donor egg.

About the Ariosa Harmony 7 Prenatal Test

DNA from the fetus circulates in the mother’s blood. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) results from the natural breakdown of fetal cells (presumed to be mostly placental) and clears from the maternal system within hours of giving birth.
During a pregnancy, cfDNA can be tested to give the most accurate screening approach in estimating the risk of a fetus having a common chromosome condition sometimes called a trisomy. This occurs when there are three copies of a particular chromosome instead of the expected two. The test looks to detect the following trisomies:

  • Trisomy 21 is the most common trisomy at the time of birth. Also called Down syndrome, it is associated with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and may also lead to digestive disease, congenital heart defects and other malformations.
  • Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) are associated with a high rate of miscarriage. These babies are born with severe brain abnormalities and often have congenital heart defects as well as other birth defects. Most affected individuals die before or soon after birth, and very few survive beyond the first year of life.
  • Sex chromosome conditions. The sex chromosomes (X and Y) determine whether we are male or female. X and Y chromosome conditions occur when there is a missing, extra, or incomplete copy of one of the sex chromosomes. The Harmony with X, Y test can assess risk for XXX, XYY, XXYY, XXY (Klinefelter syndrome), and a missing X chromosome in a girl (Turner syndrome). There is significant variability in the severity of these conditions, but most individuals have mild, if any, physical or behavioural features. If the mother is interested in having this optional testing, she should talk with her healthcare provider to determine if it is right for her. This option is not available for twin pregnancies.

Risk

This test is non-invasive as it involves taking a blood sample from the mother only.

The pregnancy is not put at risk of miscarriage or any other adverse outcomes that are associated with invasive testing procedures such as amniocentesis.

Accuracy

Clinical studies have shown that the Ariosa Harmony Test Cork  Prenatal Test has up to 99% accuracy for assessing fetal trisomy risk.

Who can have the test?

The Ariosa Harmony –  Prenatal Test can be done by the GP for women with pregnancies of at least 10 weeks + 4 days gestational age. The test can also be done for all IVF singleton pregnancies, including those with egg donors. Samples from pregnant women with twins naturally conceived, or those conceived using the patient’s own egg, are also accepted.  You must also have had your first dating scan to confirm your dates.  We do not offer scanning facilities.

How much does it cost?

The cost of the test including doctor consult, blood test and delivery of results is €470.00

How long will I have to wait for results?

The test is sent to London for processing.  Turnaround time is approx 7 – 10 working days.

Where can I find out more information?

The Ariosa Harmony web site has further information:  www.ariosadx.com

As fertility drops with age it can be useful to get an insight into your remaining number of fertile years. This is also referred to as your Ovarian Reserve and is typically investigated by means of the AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) blood test.

This is a simple blood test which can be done at any time in your cycle (*see below) to check your levels of AMH.

The test gives information about the volume of eggs remaining in your ovaries and can be helpful when predicting future fertility. This information can also be useful pre-IVF.

The results of the test should not be taken in isolation as the only indicator of fertility as there are many factors involved. As part of the testing process you will have a detailed consultation with our GP to ensure the test and implications of the results are understood.

  • * if you attend on day 3 of your period you can also have a FSH test giving some extra information re fertility status
  • * if you have  Polycystic ovaries, the test results may be falsely elevated

Our AMH blood tests are sent to a private lab and the turnaround time for results is usually 5 working days.

We advise all woman to have a Well Woman Clinic check, at least once a year, this includes: Fasting blood tests, Breast Examination, Smear Test (as per eligibility).  Advice on weight and diet, Blood Pressure check, ECG (over 50’s or if clinically indicated), and Spirometry (if clinically indicated, or smoker).

Well Women Clinic

We advise all woman to have a Well Woman Clinic check, at least once a year, this includes: Fasting blood tests, Breast Examination, Smear Test (as per eligibility). Advice on weight and diet, Blood Pressure check, ECG (over 50’s or if clinically indicated), and Spirometry (if clinically indicated, or smoker).

Menopausal Clinic ( Cost 160.00)

Women in their fifties may or may not show signs of menopause. We provide a menopausal clinic to get you through this change in your life and make it more comfortable. This includes the above tests from the Well Woman Clinic as well as counselling regarding hormone replacement therapy, counselling re Osteoporosis, referral for Mammogram and referral for Bone Density Scan (if indicated)