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What is a Pap smear test?
Can a Pap smear detect cervical cancer?
How is a Pap smear done?
What do normal Pap smear results mean?
Cervical screening, which used to be called smear test, is a test to check the health of the cervix and help prevent cervical cancer. It's offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64.
- When You'll Be Invited
You'll only be invited again if a recent test was abnormal....
- Results
a different test to look at your cervix (a colposcopy) There...
- What Happens at Your Appointment
The cervical screening test itself should take less than 5...
- Why It's Important
But you can still have a test if you want to. If you're not...
- How to Book
let them know if you'd like a woman to do the test – most...
- What is Cervical Screening
All women aged 25 to 64 are invited by letter to cervical...
- When You'll Be Invited
- Overview
- Why It's Done
- Risks
- How You Prepare
- What You Can Expect
- Results
A Pap smear is a procedure that involves collecting cells from the cervix for testing. It also is called a Pap test. Healthcare professionals sometimes call it cervical cytology. A Pap test is often used to look for cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the cervix. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the ...
A Pap smear looks for cervical cancer. It's one option for cervical cancer screening in anyone who has a cervix. A Pap smear also is called a Pap test. The Pap test usually is done at the same time as a pelvic exam. During a pelvic exam, a healthcare professional checks the reproductive organs. Sometimes the Pap test may be combined with a test for...
A Pap smear is a safe way to screen for cervical cancer. Still, a Pap smear, also called a Pap test, isn't always accurate. It's possible to receive a false-negative result. This means that cancer cells or other concerning cells are present, but the test doesn't find them. A false-negative result doesn't mean that a mistake was made. A false-negati...
To ensure that your Pap smear is most effective, follow your healthcare professional's instructions about how to prepare. Before a Pap smear, also called a Pap test, you may be asked to: 1. Avoid intercourse, douching, or using any vaginal medicines or spermicidal foams, creams or jellies for two days before having a Pap test. These may wash away o...
During the test
A Pap smear is performed in a healthcare professional's office. A Pap smear, also called a Pap test, typically takes only a few minutes. You may be asked to undress completely or only from the waist down. You'll lie down on your back on an exam table with your knees bent. Your heels rest in footrests called stirrups. Your healthcare professional will gently put an instrument called a speculum into your vagina. The speculum holds the walls of your vagina apart so that your cervix is easily see...
After the test
After your Pap test, you can go about your day as usual. Ask your healthcare professional when you can expect the results of your test.
Pap smear results may be ready in 1 to 3 weeks. Ask your healthcare professional when you can expect the results of your Pap smear, which is also called a Pap test.
Mar 29, 2024 · A Pap smear, also called a Pap test, is an exam a doctor uses to find out if you have cervical cancer. The test can also see changes in your cervical cells that may turn...
A Pap smear (also called a Pap test) screens for cervical cancer. The test checks for abnormal cells on your cervix that are cancerous or have the potential to become cancerous and may also detect certain infections and inflammation.
Jul 10, 2023 · Learn about the pap smear, a screening test for cervical cancer that usually is done during a regular gynecological exam.
Sep 27, 2021 · A Pap smear, also called a Pap test, is a routine screening procedure for cervical cancer. It’s recommended once every three years for women starting at age 21, regardless of whether...
The test aims to detect potentially precancerous changes (called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or cervical dysplasia; the squamous intraepithelial lesion system (SIL) is also used to describe abnormalities) caused by human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted DNA virus.