September is Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month, making now the perfect time to highlight the importance of women’s health exams like the Pap smear. This quick and painless procedure is effective at detecting cancer at an early stage. If you’ve never had one done, you may have many questions about it. To help you answer them, here's a brief overview of this test and why it’s essential.

Everything You Need to Know About the Pap Smear

What It Is

A Pap smear, or Pap test, is a screening that detects cancerous or precancerous cells on your cervix, which is the opening to the uterus. This test is generally done as part of a thorough gynecological exam and is an important part of women’s health. During the procedure, your health care provider will gently scrape away cells from your cervix and send them to a lab to determine whether the sample contains affected cells.

How Often You Should Have It Done

Women should get Pap smears every three years from the time they turn 21 until they turn 29. After the age of 30, you can have your Pap test combined with testing for human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause cervical cancer.

Certain diseases and risk factors may make it necessary to have your Pap test conducted more often. If you have had cervical cancer, are HIV-positive, have a history of smoking, or have a weakened immune system from chemotherapy or an organ transplant, your medical provider may recommend a more frequent screening schedule.

What to Expect From the Procedure

First, your women’s health care provider will have you lie back on an exam table and put your feet into stirrups. A device called a speculum is used to open the vagina to allow the practitioner to see the cervix. Using a brush, a scraping device, or both, the provider will take a small sample of your cervical cells. You may feel slight pressure, then cramping after the procedure.

Your medical provider will call you with your results when they come back from the lab. They can be normal, which means that you have no cancerous cells, or abnormal, which means that some may or may not be cancerous. Depending on your results, your women’s health care provider may suggest more frequent tests or a follow-up procedure. Either way, the exam is crucial for early detection, which improves treatment outcomes. 

Have your routine Pap smear and pelvic exam done by the medical professionals at Hillside Family Medicine in Anchorage, AK. This team of medical providers has been offering women’s health care services for more than 20 years. Their staff is dedicated to helping you take control of your health through screenings and gynecological exams. Make your appointment today by calling (907) 344-0200 or learn more about their practice online.