A newlywed died of cervical cancer after being refused a smear test because she was deemed too young.
Becky Ryder was 24 when she visited her doctor with worrying symptoms – but was denied the simple procedure because she was under the minimum age of 25.
It took months of repeated visits to her GP before she eventually saw another doctor, who diagnosed her with cancer.
Sad loss: Paul Ryder and his late wife Becky were due to celebrate their third wedding anniversary this year
Mrs Ryder began a gruelling course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy and at one stage was even told she had beaten the disease. But the cancer spread and she died at the age of 26.
Yesterday her widower Paul paid tribute to his wife and described her attitude to the disease as ‘amazing’.
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Mrs Ryder, from Bristol, first went to her doctor in September 2010, complaining of unexplained bleeding.
A change to legislation means that in England regular smear tests are given only to women of 25 and over instead of the previous minimum age of 20, which still applies in Wales.
‘Amazing attitude’: A beaming Becky Ryder on her wedding day (left), just months before she became ill. (Right), she is pictured with her husband Paul
Mr Ryder, 35, said: ‘Becky wanted a smear test done and requested it but because she was under 25 at the time they said it would just get returned and they would not do it.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CERVICAL CANCER?
About 2,900 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK.
The symptoms of aren't always obvious and it may not cause any symptoms until it has reached an advanced stage.
In most cases, abnormal bleeding is the first sign.
Its usually occurs after sex although any usually bleeding should be investigated.
Other symptoms include pain in and around the vagina during sex, an unpleasant smelling discharge and pain when passing urine.
If the cancer has spread there may be other symptoms including constipation, blood in the urine, loss of bladder control, bone pain and swelling in the legs and kidneys.
If you are concerned about symptoms but are under 25 you have the right to an internal examination.
Maddy Durrant, of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, says: 'There is a pathway in place that means a patient should be checked or referred if they are exhibiting symptoms.
'We advise women to challenge their doctor if they say they do not need a test.'
She adds that it can help if you print out a list of symptoms, such as from the charity's website, to make your point understood.
'Cervical cancer is rare in women under 25, but it's not impossible.'
‘She was treated for cervical erosion and then it was just left. The bleeding did stop, but it came back again. She saw a different doctor then and they raised a few more concerns.’
Mrs Ryder, a chartered accountant, was finally diagnosed with cervical cancer following a biopsy in February 2011.
She immediately began radiotherapy and chemotherapy as well as undergoing fertility treatment to freeze her eggs in the hope she could later have a family.
In September 2011, she was given the all-clear after scans showed no sign of the cancer.
‘It was quite a shock, but a good shock,’ said Mr Ryder, a golf professional and teacher. ‘Becky didn’t seem to believe it. She had a feeling something more was going on.’
A few months later her legs started to swell and, after returning to the doctors, scans showed the cancer was back.
Mr Ryder said: ‘That’s when they said “Sorry, it’s terminal”. We still thought she could fight but even more chemotherapy couldn’t get rid of it.’
The couple, who would have celebrated their third wedding anniversary this year, tried to remain positive, but Mrs Ryder was admitted to St Peter’s Hospice, in Bristol, just before Christmas and died on February 14 this year.
Mr Ryder said he later met a woman who also knew a victim of cervical cancer whose condition was not identified in time and had set up a charity.
The Mercedes Curnow Foundation For The Early Detection Of Cervical Cancer now campaigns for a reduction in the screening age to 20. It also funds private smear tests.
But the Department of Health said routine screening of under-25s did ‘more harm than good’, giving too many false positive results that lead to needless treatment.
Public health minister Anna Soubry added: ‘We now vaccinate girls with the HPV vaccine which protects against 70 per cent of cervical cancers.’
Mr Ryder (left) is tirelessly campaigning to raise awareness of cervical cancer, something former Big Brother contestant Jade Goody (right ) did before she succumbed to the disease in 2009
Mr Ryder (front, kneeling) is working with friends, family and a local charity to increase knowledge about cervical cancer in young women under 25.
WHAT ARE SMEAR TESTS AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
A cervical smear test detects abnormal (pre-cancerous) cells in the cervix in order to prevent cervical cancer developing.
Cervical screening is not a test for cancer; it is a test to check the health of the cells of the cervix.
Most test results will come back normal, but for one in 20 women the test will show some abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix.
Most of these changes will not lead to cervical cancer and the cells may go back to normal on their own.
However, in some cases, the abnormal cells need to be treated to prevent them becoming cancerous.
About 2,900 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK. This amounts to 2 per cent of all cancer cases diagnosed in women.
The highest incidence of cervical cancer occurs in women aged between 30 and 39, with the under-35s most likely to be affected.
Until 2003 all women were offered smear tests from the age of 20 upwards. This is still the case in Wales.Since 2003 government legislation has meant that only women aged 25 and over are offered the test.