How's Your Pap?
By "Pap," we mean your annual screening test for cervical cancer. Have you had one lately? If you've been putting it off, here are some facts you should know:
- Four out of five women who die of cervical cancer haven't had a Pap smear in the preceding five years.
- Since the introduction of the Pap exam after World War II, death rates from cervical cancer have dropped an amazing 70%.
- A Pap exam is done along with your yearly pelvic examination in less than one minute.
- A Pap is simple; your Gynecologist painlessly obtains cells from the cervix, places them on a slide and sends them to a lab for analysis.
- A Pap exam can detect abnormal changes in the cervical cells that can be the result of many factors, not necessarily cancer.
- An abnormal Pap will prompt your doctor to suggest another Pap or a tissue biopsy to pinpoint the cause of the abnormalities.
- You should begin receiving annual Pap smears when you reach the age of 18 or become sexually active - whichever comes first.
Return to LEARN MORE: Obstetrics/Gynecology
