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[1, 2, 3]
Pap Smears
Chapter 2
At this point, the doctor will insert a curved looking instrument,
made either of plastic or of metal, called a speculum, to spread
the vaginal walls apart. If it is made of metal, the nurse will
often run it under warm water so that it isn't too cold when the
doctor inserts it. The insertion of the speculum is not painful
at all, but it may feel strange or uncomfortable. The more relaxed
you are, the easier it is to insert, making it more comfortable
for you, so take a few deep breaths and try to relax your muscles.
Once the speculum is in place, the doctor will examine your cervix.
After a quick visual inspection, the doctor will proceed with the
Pap smear. All this entails is a gentle little scrape of a small
area of the cervix with a wooden spatula. Although this sounds unpleasant,
it merely takes a few seconds and it feels like a tiny little pinch.
In fact, some women can't feel it at all and don't even know when
it's been done. The nurse then puts the culture, or scrapings onto
a glass microscope slide to be sent to the lab for examination.
Usually two scrapings are done, the first one is to check for abnormal
cells, and the second one is to check for vaginal infections and
sexually transmitted diseases (STD's). Some of the common STD's
that are routinely checked for include chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Some doctors and clinics will routinely test all of their patients
for STD's, while other doctors or clinics will not check for STD's
unless you specifically request it. It is always therefore a good
idea to request this be done if you are at all sexually active -
after all, you are having the procedure done anyway. The speculum
is then gently removed and that usually concludes your examination.
The entire visit from beginning to end usually takes about half
an hour.
It generally takes anywhere from a few days, up to two weeks for
your results to come in depending on your country's health care
system. If all your results are normal, there is nothing further
required of you until you are due for your next Pap smear and pelvic
exam. If the doctor informs you that your results came back abnormal,
don't be frightened, it doesn't necessarily mean that there is anything
wrong. Sometimes a simple infection, inflammation, or improper handling
of the microscope slides will cause the results to come back as
abnormal. Any time that your results come back abnormal, your doctor
will ask you to come back to get a second Pap smear done to determine
if this is the case.
What they are looking for in the lab is atypical cells, which are
simply those cells which do not appear normal and healthy. Some
of the atypical cells may be cancerous, but the majority of them
aren't. Atypical cells do, however, run the risk of turning cancerous
if they are not removed. If your second Pap smear comes back abnormal,
your doctor may ask you to have a simple procedure done called a
colposcopy, in which the doctor will examine your cervix under a
microscope and then apply a form of vinegar on it, which will cause
the abnormal cells to turn white. If your cells turn white the doctor
will then do a biopsy, which involves taking a small tissue sample
and studying it in the laboratory. Abnormal cells are usually removed
by laser at a later date.
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