English: As we mark Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, I'd like to make a general point at the outset, and that is that girls don't always get taught enough about their bodies - neither do boys, of course. A mix of embarrassment, a lack of understanding, even body shaming, can coalesce from when girls are really quite young, and those factors surely contribute to the fact that one in three women fail to attend their cervical screening appointment when they're invited. We've heard already in the debate about the thousands of women who'll be told every year that they have cervical cell changes, so surely we have to find better ways of talking about these issues and normalising the process of smear tests. Specifically on this petition, the changes to routine smear tests, it's already been said that they were communicated very poorly, and that did cause avoidable anxiety. The explanation that we have been given by Public Health Wales has set many minds at rest, but since that change was announced I've been contacted by women who are still nervous. I wanted to raise those concerns here so that I could get some constructive answers for them from the Minister. Some constituents have raised the fact - it's already been rehearsed - that a HPV infection can clear within one or two years, meaning that an infection could have cleared by the time a test is taken. Those constituents have queried how someone looking at the results could then know whether the infection has caused cellular changes if they're not looking for those changes. Another constituent was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer at age 30 in 2021 and the cancer was caught during her three-year smear test. She's worried that, had she waited an additional two years, the cancer could have progressed far more and potentially affected her fertility or something far graver. Now, as I've said, the new test should work very well for most of those who've had the HPV vaccine, which is obviously something to be very much welcomed, because that will have reduced the incidence of abnormal cell changes. Not everyone will have been offered that vaccine, and I know that women, particularly in their 30s, will have missed out on that opportunity because that's true for me as well. So, I'd equally like to hear more about what could be done to put women's minds at rest about that. A further worry felt by some of my constituents concerns women who could develop cervical cancer that isn't linked to HPV. They would presumably be left without screening, so what provision, please, could be made for them? I've raised these concerns in order to get clarity for those constituents who are still feeling uneasy about this change. Minister, all of this could, of course, have been avoided had a communication gone out before that graphic was shared on social media. I understand of course that lessons will have been learnt about this, but alongside those specific queries I would ask how Public Health Wales will be seeking to combat any sense that could develop of the wrong message being sent to women - that is, that it isn't as important to keep on top of smear tests. I know that that is in no way what's meant by this change, but again a vacuum could develop for the wrong assumptions to be made, unless that vacuum is filled. One constituent said to me that, like visiting the dentist, even if you don't think you need to go, it's important to go, and it's really important that public health messaging doesn't inadvertently discourage women from attending. So, I'd be grateful for any information the Minister could provide in summing up the debate that could alleviate those concerns of my constituents that I've relayed to you. But the overwhelming point I would make, just in concluding, Dirprwy Lywydd, is that again we need to make sure that women of all ages get the sense that smear tests are normal, that they're not something to be worried about. When I was in school, they were talked about in this hushed, quite horrified way - not by teachers, I should say, but by other pupils - and I got this impression it was going to be this very painful thing. Actually, for most women, it's totally painless; bit awkward - it needn't be awkward. But I think we need to find ways of countering this narrative, and it comes about because too many of these topics are considered taboo and they're not talked about.
Welsh: Wrth inni nodi Wythnos Atal Canser Ceg y Groth, hoffwn wneud pwynt cyffredinol ar y dechrau, sef nad yw merched bob amser yn cael digon o addysg am eu cyrff - mae'n wir am fechgyn hefyd, wrth gwrs. Gall cyfuniad o embaras, diffyg dealltwriaeth, cywilyddio corfforol hyd yn oed, ymffurfio o'r adeg pan fydd merched yn eithaf ifanc, ac mae'n sicr fod y ffactorau hynny'n cyfrannu at y ffaith nad yw un o bob tair menyw yn mynd i'w hapwyntiad sgrinio serfigol pan gânt eu gwahodd. Clywsom eisoes yn y ddadl am y miloedd o fenywod a fydd yn cael gwybod bob blwyddyn fod ganddynt newidiadau yng nghelloedd ceg y groth, felly rhaid inni ddod o hyd i ffyrdd gwell o siarad am y materion hyn a normaleiddio'r broses o fynd am brawf ceg y groth. Ar y ddeiseb hon yn benodol, y newidiadau i brofion ceg y groth rheolaidd, dywedwyd eisoes eu bod wedi cael eu cyfathrebu'n wael iawn, a bod hynny wedi achosi pryder y gellid bod wedi ei osgoi. Mae'r esboniad a roddwyd inni gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru wedi tawelu meddyliau llawer o bobl, ond ers cyhoeddi'r newid hwnnw mae menywod sy'n dal yn nerfus wedi cysylltu â mi. Roeddwn am godi'r pryderon hynny yma fel y gallwn gael atebion adeiladol iddynt gan y Gweinidog. Mae rhai etholwyr wedi codi'r ffaith - mae eisoes wedi'i nodi - y gall haint HPV glirio o fewn blwyddyn neu ddwy, sy'n golygu y gallai haint fod wedi clirio erbyn i brawf gael ei wneud. Mae'r etholwyr hynny wedi holi sut y gallai rhywun sy'n edrych ar y canlyniadau wedyn wybod a yw'r haint wedi achosi newidiadau i gelloedd os nad ydynt yn chwilio am y newidiadau hynny. Cafodd etholwraig arall ddiagnosis o ganser cam 1 yn 30 oed yn 2021 a chafodd y canser ei ganfod yn ystod ei phrawf ceg y groth tair blynedd. Pe bai hi wedi aros am ddwy flynedd ychwanegol, mae hi'n poeni y gallai'r canser fod wedi datblygu llawer mwy ac effeithio ar ei ffrwythlondeb o bosibl, neu rywbeth llawer mwy difrifol. Nawr, fel y dywedais, dylai'r prawf newydd weithio'n dda iawn i'r rhan fwyaf o'r rhai sydd wedi cael y brechlyn HPV, sy'n amlwg yn rhywbeth i'w groesawu'n fawr, oherwydd bydd hynny wedi lleihau nifer yr achosion o newidiadau celloedd annormal. Ni fydd pawb wedi cael cynnig y brechlyn hwnnw, a gwn y bydd menywod, yn enwedig yn eu 30au, wedi colli'r cyfle hwnnw oherwydd mae hynny'n wir yn fy achos i hefyd. Felly, yn yr un modd, hoffwn glywed mwy am yr hyn y gellid ei wneud i dawelu meddyliau menywod ynglŷn â hynny. Mae pryder arall sydd gan rai o fy etholwyr yn ymwneud â menywod a allai ddatblygu canser ceg y groth nad yw'n gysylltiedig â HPV. Mae'n debyg y byddent yn cael eu gadael heb eu sgrinio, felly pa ddarpariaeth y gellid ei gwneud ar eu cyfer hwy os gwelwch yn dda? Rwyf wedi codi'r pryderon hyn er mwyn cael eglurder i'r etholwyr sy'n dal i deimlo'n anesmwyth ynglŷn â'r newid hwn. Weinidog, gellid bod wedi osgoi hyn i gyd wrth gwrs pe bai neges wedi mynd allan cyn i'r graffig hwnnw gael ei rannu ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol. Deallaf wrth gwrs y bydd gwersi wedi'u dysgu ynglŷn â hyn, ond ochr yn ochr â'r ymholiadau penodol hynny hoffwn ofyn sut y bydd Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn ceisio mynd i'r afael ag unrhyw arwydd a allai ddatblygu fod y neges anghywir yn cael ei chyfleu i fenywod - hynny yw, nad yw mor bwysig iddynt fynd i gael prawf ceg y groth. Gwn nad dyna a olygir gyda'r newid hwn mewn unrhyw ffordd, ond unwaith eto gallai gwactod ddatblygu i'r rhagdybiaethau anghywir gael eu gwneud, oni bai ein bod yn llenwi'r gwactod hwnnw. Dywedodd un etholwraig wrthyf ei bod hi'n bwysig mynd hyd yn oed os nad ydych yn credu bod angen i chi fynd, fel ymweld â'r deintydd, ac mae'n bwysig iawn nad yw negeseuon iechyd y cyhoedd yn annog menywod yn anfwriadol i beidio â mynd i gael eu sgrinio. Felly, byddwn yn ddiolchgar am unrhyw wybodaeth y gallai'r Gweinidog ei darparu wrth grynhoi'r ddadl a allai leddfu'r pryderon y soniais amdanynt sydd gan fy etholwyr. Ond y pwynt hanfodol y byddwn yn ei wneud wrth gloi, Ddirprwy Lywydd, yw bod angen i ni, unwaith eto, sicrhau bod menywod o bob oed yn teimlo bod profion ceg y groth yn normal, nad ydynt yn rhywbeth i boeni yn eu cylch. Pan oeddwn yn yr ysgol, byddai pobl yn sôn amdanynt o dan eu gwynt, fel pe baent yn bethau i arswydo rhagddynt - nid yr athrawon, dylwn ddweud, ond disgyblion eraill - a chefais yr argraff y byddent yn boenus iawn. Mewn gwirionedd, i'r rhan fwyaf o fenywod, mae'n gwbl ddi-boen; ychydig yn lletchwith - nid oes angen iddo fod yn lletchwith. Ond rwy'n credu bod angen inni ddod o hyd i ffyrdd o fynd i'r afael â'r naratif hwn, ac mae'n digwydd am fod gormod o'r pynciau hyn yn cael eu hystyried yn bynciau tabŵ ac am na chânt eu trafod.