SHAME and embarrassment are primary motivations for women choosing to avoid their routine cervical screening appointments, research has found.

Myths surrounding the human papillomavirus (HPV) and how it's contracted have caused women and people with cervixes to be concerned over the opinion of medical staff prompting them not to attend their smears.

Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust has found untrue information has put women off from attending the potentially lifesaving tests.

As previously reported by the Glasgow Times Don't Fear the Smear campaign, uptake among women in the Greater Glasgow area is staggeringly low, with less than half of eligible people under 35 attending the appointment despite cervical cancer being the most common form of the disease for people in that age group.

One of the most common myths surrounding the virus is that HPV is only contracted by sexually active people or those who have had multiple sexual partners.

While the virus is most commonly contracted via sexual contact, it can be spread through any form of skin-to-skin contact in the genital or oral areas.

Those who have had multiple partners are at more risk of contracting HPV given that they have had come into contact with more people, however, it can be just as easily picked up the first time a person has sexual contact.

In fact, around 80% of both men and women will contract the virus at some point in their lives making it the most viral infection of the genital tract.

Another myth which is commonly spread is that the virus won't be passed between people using condoms, however, this is untrue.

Condoms protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) but the virus is not considered an STI and will not be deterred by any type of contraception.

It's also wrongly thought that women in menopause or gay women cannot pick up the virus when HPV can be contracted by anyone at any time, regardless of age or sexuality.

Some of the myths can also be quite dangerous, such as the opinion that someone would be able to tell if they had HPV without a smear test.

The virus is very often symptomless and, in most cases, is cleared by the immune system without the need for intervention.

The most important myth which needs to be busted is to ensure people understand that having HPV does not mean a person has cancer.

HPV is the most common cause of cervical cancer, however, it does not always reach this point.

There are around 200 types of the virus and only around 13 high-risk forms are believed to lead to cervical cancer and other forms of the disease, but it is rare.

A spokesperson for Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust said: "Testing for HPV first is a far more effective way of identifying those most at risk of cervical cancer. This change to the programme does mean more women will be told they have HPV.

"HPV can be confusing, however, so we must normalise it to ensure people don't feel ashamed or scared about being told they have the virus."

Support Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and help make cervical cancer a thing of the past. If you have questions or need to talk, call their helpline for information or support: 0808 802 8000