Pap smear?
Question:
my doctor told me i should look into getting 1 but i don't no exactly what it is. please helpā„
Answers:
Pap Smear Introduction
Cancer of the cervix (cervical cancer) is the second most common cause of cancer-related disease and death among women worldwide. The best way to detect cervical cancer is by having regular Papanicolaou tests, or Pap smears. (Pap is a shortened version of the name of the doctor who developed the screening test.) A Pap smear is a microscopic examination of cells taken from the cervix.
A Pap smear can detect certain viral infections (such as human papillomavirus [HPV]) and other cancer-causing conditions. Early treatment of these conditions can stop cervical cancer before it fully develops. A woman may have cervical cancer and not know it because she may not have any symptoms.
The incidence of cancer and deaths from cervical cancer has significantly declined over the years because of prevention, screening, and early detection by the Pap smear. In the United States, about 2-3 million abnormal Pap smear results are found each year. Most of them indicate the early stages of disease and need reasonable observation by a doctor
During the Procedure
A Pap smear is usually part of a pelvic exam and accompanied by a breast exam performed by the health care provider. It should only take about 1 minute to perform a Pap smear during this overall exam.
The woman will lie on the examination table (see Multimedia File 1) on her back with her knees up and bent and her feet in stirrups (rests). While she is lying on an examination table, her health care provider will use a small metal or plastic instrument called a speculum to open the vagina so that the walls of the vagina and cervix can be seen clearly.
A sample of mucus and cells will be obtained from the cervix (see Multimedia File 2) (the part of the uterus that extends into the vagina) and endocervix (the opening of the cervix) using a wooden scraper or a small cervical brush or broom.
The sample of cells is evenly applied to a glass slide and sprayed with a fixative. This sample is sent to the lab for close and careful examination under a microscope. If the doctor is using a new kind of Pap smear called a ThinPrep test, the sample is rinsed into a vial and sent to a lab for slide preparation and examination.
A cytologist (a specialist trained to look at the cells and interpret a Pap smear) reviews both types of tests.
Some discomfort during the test may occur. Most women feel nothing at all or feel pressure. Staying relaxed will help stop any discomfort. The woman should breathe slowly and concentrate on relaxing her stomach and legs.
A Pap smear should not be painful. If experiencing pain during the test, the woman should tell her doctor.
The Pap test, also called a Pap smear, checks for changes in the cells of your cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina (birth canal). The Pap test can tell if you have an infection, abnormal (unhealthy) cervical cells, or cervical cancer.
A Pap test can save your life. It can find the earliest signs of cervical cancer - a common cancer in women. If caught early, the chance of curing cervical cancer is very high. Pap tests also can find infections and abnormal cervical cells that can turn into cancer cells. Treatment can prevent most cases of cervical cancer from developing.
Getting regular Pap tests is the best thing you can do to prevent cervical cancer. About 13,000 women in America will find out they have cervical cancer this year. And in 2004, 3,500 women died from cervical cancer in the United States.
The pap test do not really hurt, it's just really uncomfortable at least for me it is. It only takes a couple of minutes, so it's over really quickly.
Here is what is done:
Your doctor can do a Pap test during a pelvic exam. It is a simple and quick test. While you lie on an exam table, the doctor puts an instrument called a speculum into your vagina, opening it to see the cervix. She will then use a special stick or brush to take a few cells from inside and around the cervix. The cells are placed on a glass slide and sent to a lab for examination. While usually painless, a Pap test is uncomfortable for some women.
a pap smear is from the inside of the vagina should be done on a yearly basis is uncomfortable to have done but only takes a couple of minutes to do
A pap smear is usually done as a part of your annual pelvic exam. If your doctor suggested it, then you should go to a gynocologist and have a pelvic exam done.
A pap smear is a test where they use a (sometimes) wooden collector to gently scrape your cervix. It is done to collect cells that will be tested. This test is very important and can detect cervical cancer and other abnormalities.
It doesn't hurt (sometimes you might feel pressure, or a quick pinch), it is quick and can save your life.
a pap smear is when you visit your gyno yearly and when the do the exam they give you a gown to wear that opens in the front, so they do a breat exam and then they also when they do a pap is take a lubricated speculum and place it into you, where they test the lining of your cervix, its very important due to 70% of the human population being infected with the hpv, which is the leading cause in cervical cancer in woman if they have the strands that are exposing them to the risk, its a very quick painless test, you may experience some minor cramping afterwards but that should be it, and possibly a tinge of blood, all of the above is normal, they also exam you internally and feel inside your cervix, the most important thing to do is try to be relaxed as possible, best of luck
it is in your yearly exam but since you have never had one the doctor inserts a speculum inside your vagina and scapes a little tissue from your cervix it is put on a slide and sent to the lab all you feel is a slight pinch, you don't even notice it because like most women you are just so uncomfortable laying there naked with your feet up in stirrups, but we all go through it and it is over in a few minutes. but it is important for helping screen for cancer or other infections.
If that site below doesnt answer all your questions I dont know what will.
its not so bad, but words are nothing. so I hope this video will help you.
http://research.bidmc.harvard.edu/vptuto...
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