Maura Higgins has urged her fans to get smear tests, after a recent doctor’s appointment.
The Love Island star has been undergoing various tests since being struck down with a mystery illness last month, and the results of an ultrasound found she has “severe inflammation” around her bladder.
The Longford native took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday evening to update her 3.4million followers after her latest trip to the doctor.
She said: “Thanks for all your lovely messages by the way. A lot of you are looking for a Q&A on like what’s going on with me and stuff but I can’t do a Q&A because I’m as much in the dark as you guys. This is why I’m getting tests done.
“However, we did figure something out today, well when I say we, obviously the doctor. I’ve got severe inflammation around my bladder. Like my bladder is inflamed and we don’t know why. Obviously I have to get more tests done. But yeah, very strange.”
“I actually went in for an ultrasound today. That was the appointment. So obviously you go in and you talk and you all this jazz and whatever. He was doing like an internal check type thing.”
“I don’t want to go into too much details because I know it grosses people out or whatever… anyway, so afterwards I turned around and said to him ‘oh my god that felt a bit like a smear test’ and he said ‘it was’.”
The 31-year-old continued: “But this is my point because I know a lot of you message me about the smear test… if anyone ever says to you that a smear test is painful, uncomfortable, anything – they are drama queens.”
“I’ve had smears test in the past and it never hurt. I’ve had a smear today and I didn’t even know I was getting one. It was absolutely fine. I’ve had messages from women at the NHS saying that women actually cancel their smears because they’re so scared and they feel uncomfortable.”
“There is no need to feel uncomfortable. These gynaecologists, doctors and nurses have seen hundreds and hundreds of vaginas every day… My point is get your smear test. It is so so, so important.”
Read everything you need to know about getting a smear test here.
