Pap test results
Many women are familiar with the Pap test. This test is also called a Pap smear. It is an exam that a doctor uses to test women for cervical cancer. This test can also reveal any changes in cells in the cervix that may turn into cancer later. Pap smear is an important test that every woman should take at least once a year.
Testing yourself yearly can help catch cancer early on if you have it. This method is the best way to to help women prevent cancer. It will show any risky cells that need to examined further.
Now that you know why the Pap smear is important, let’s find out more about it and see how you can interpret the Pap test results.
The Procedure
The whole procedure for a Pap smear is simple and short. It takes up to 20 minutes for the whole exam, while it only takes a few minutes for the actual smear. Your doctor will perform that test at their office or clinic. The exam goes as usual: you lie on a table with your feet firmly in stirrups.
You spread your legs so the doctor can insert a speculum into your vagina to open it up and widen the walls. This allows doctors to see your cervix. Then they will use a swab to take a sample of cells from your cervix. Once that is done, they will place the swab into a liquid substance. After this, swab is sent to the lab for review.
The Pap test doesn’t hurt at all. However, if it’s your first time, it may be a bit uncomfortable and you may feel a pinch or a bit of pressure.
The Results
After a few days, your doctor will get the results from the lab and will call you with the results. The results of the Pap smear can be either negative (normal) or positive (abnormal), so let’s see what these mean.
Normal results
A negative result is a good thing. This means that the test didn’t find anything irregular and that there are no precancerous or cancerous cells in your cervix. Simply said, you can relax, everything is alright! You don’t need to do another Pap smear until you schedule it again.
Abnormal results
It may happen that the results come back positive, or abnormal, but that doesn’t mean you have cancer. Pap smear results can be abnormal for a lot of different reasons. Try your best not to immediately worry about it. The reasons for the abnormal results can be:
- Minor cell changes (dysplasia) or mild inflammation of your cervix
- Lab test error
- HPV or other infection
- Cancer or pre-cancer
Since there are many reasons for the Pap test results to come back positive, it is highly important that you have regular exams with your gynecologist. Many doctors, like the ones from gynecologist Doral clinic, recommend regular Pap smears and examinations for exactly those reasons – you may catch inflammation, find infections, or even catch early on set cancer.
You may have inflammation if you’ve had sex or used a diaphragm before your Pap smear. Both of these things can change the results of the test to positive. When inflammation happens, it means there are minor cell changes and your doctor may recommend waiting a bit and scheduling another Pap smear.
Repeating the smear should be done in a few months to confirm or deny the results. And if it happens that after a few months the abnormal cells haven’t changed, then the doctor may recommend more tests.
These additional tests might include colposcopy. This is a procedure where your doctor will insert the speculum in your vagina again and look at the cervix with a colposcope. That is a tool with a lens and bright light which allows doctors to better look at your cervix. The doctor will swab the walls of the cervix with vinegar or other liquid solution.
Highlighted areas are usually suspicious looking.
If it happens that they find something suspicious, they will take a sample – biopsy.
The tissue will be sent to the lab for testing. And even if this happens, there might not be anything to worry about and you can openly talk to your doctor about everything. They will gladly inform you about any risks or what the results may be.
The test may even come back false negative or false positive, and that’s why it is crucial to talk to your doctor about everything and about the benefits and risks of cervical cancer screening. Plus, this is another reason why regular gynecology exams are a must for all women.
