Transgender Men's and Non-Binary People's Experiences of Cervical Cancer Screening-A Journey Mapping Approach.
Max Kleijberg, Lars E Eriksson
PMID 40970568WHAT IT FOUND
Trans men and non-binary people with a cervix described cervical screening as hard to access because invitations follow legal gender, clinics are female-centred, and staff often lack trans knowledge.
They planned and prepared before screening.
Key findings
01Cervical screening invitations were described as a system barrier because they are automatically sent to people registered as female, not to male-registered people with a cervix.
02Participants often used trans-community information because healthcare information was seen as not trans-inclusive or hard to find.
03Staff communication and consent shaped the screening experience: some felt more agency when staff explained choices and allowed them to stop, while unplanned tests felt like violations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This qualitative study describes experiences and barriers, not whether any change improves screening participation or experience. Participants were recruited through trans networks, Pride, and snowball sampling, so they may be more connected to trans communities and more motivated about screening than people who avoid it. Only one participant reported never having participated in CCS, so the views of people who avoid screening may be underrepresented. Findings are tied to Sweden, where CCS invitations are linked to legal gender and the personnummer system, so the exact barriers may not apply elsewhere. Researcher interpretation could influence the themes, even though preliminary findings were discussed with stakeholders.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Regionalt cancercentrum Stockholm Gotland and Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd. The research was initiated by the Regional Cancer Centre as part of work on a CCS access barrier.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that male-registered people with a cervix cannot receive cervical screening. The paper describes invitation routines as a barrier, but two participants reported being routinely invited, and others accessed screening by contacting clinics or using self-sampling.