Women's Health

A Pap smear is performed in a doctor’s office, hospital, or clinic by a doctor physician assistant nurse midwife nurse practitioner or other specially trained healthcare provider. Each of these professionals is also qualified to perform a pelvic examination, which can help detect cancer in female reproductive organs other than the cervix. During a pelvic examination, the […]

At the laboratory, a Pap smear is examined by a cytotechnologist, a professional specially trained to recognize abnormal cells that could indicate the presence of cancer or a precancerous condition. If the cytotechnologist spots something suspicious, a pathologist, a doctor who specializes in identifying diseases under a microscope, studies the slide and classifies the cell

Laboratories use one of two systems to classify Pap smear results. Traditional Reporting System The older system classifies each cell sample as Class I Normal Class II Atypical Class III Mild, moderate, or severe abnormality Class IV Carcinoma in situ, that is, a growth that has the characteristics of cancer cells but has not yet reached

Laboratories generally report Pap smear results to the doctor a few weeks after the test is performed. The doctor then calls the patient to notify her of her test results mails test results to the patient makes the results available to the patient upon request Do not assume the test was normal if the doctor

The Pap smear is the most effective cancer screening method in medical history. But even the most conscientious laboratories sometimes classify normal cell samples as suspicious or overlook abnormalities among the half million cells on each slide. This may be due to the fact that using the conventional Pap testing technique: as much as 80

At least half of all women (50 to 80 percent) whose Pap smears are classified as abnormal don’t have cervical cancer don’t have a condition that will become cervical cancer For a woman who has regular Pap smears, abnormalities detected by the test are most apt to be very early precancers. It can take as

Here are some frequently asked questions related to Pap smear. Q: Who should have a Pap smear? A: Every girl or woman who is at least 18 years old and who is or has been sexually active should have regular Pap smears. Q: How often should a girl or woman have a Pap smear? A: She should

The Pap smear, also called a Pap test, is a painless, noninvasive procedure that doctors and other specially trained healthcare providers use to screen for cancer of the cervix (the lower part of the uterus, or womb, where a baby grows). This procedure involves collecting cells from the cervix and the vagina preparing the cell sample for

Experts estimate that 35,000,000 women in the United States should have regular Pap smears. About one-third of all women who should have regular Pap smears do not. A girl or woman should have a Pap smear if she: has reached the age of 18 is sexually active has been sexually active A girl or woman

Having Pap smears at recommended intervals is the most important thing a woman can do to protect herself from developing cervical cancer. Regular Pap testing is important because no test is 100 percent accurate no one can predict who will develop cervical cancer this procedure enables healthcare providers to detect early precancerous changes in the