Pap

How to Get a Pap Test

A Pap test, also known as a Pap smear, is an examination your doctor performs to check for cervical cancer or signs of cervical cancer. To do this, he must take samples of cells from your cervix to be tested in a laboratory. Women'shealth.gov...

Get a Pap Smear

Pap Smears Detect Problems in Cervix A doctor takes a pap smear or pap test to get a sample of cells from a woman's cervix. The screening helps detect cancerous cells and other changes. The test can check for cervical cancer, infections or other...

About Pap Test Results

Women undergo a Pap test, also referred to as a Pap smear, to check for cancer and other abnormalities in the cervix. Infections and inflammation also can be detected in the lower portion of the uterus through a Pap test. According to the National...

Abnormal Pap & HPVs

A Pap smear test is used to screen women for cervical cancer; it looks at cells on the surface of the cervix. It is normally performed as part of a routine gynecological exam. The cervix is at the back of the vagina and connects the vagina and the...

Types of Pap Smears

The death rate from cervical cancer has fallen nearly 70 percent since Pap smears were first used to detect early cervical cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The test is a simple, painless way to look for precancerous and cancerous...

About Abnormal Pap Tests

An abnormal result from a pap test, also known as a pap smear, can be scary. Because the test looks for changes that indicate cervical cancer or precancerous conditions, many women worry that abnormalities indicate the presence of cancer. However,...

FAQs on Pap Smears

The Pap smear test, a way for doctors to check for signs of cervical cancer, is a routine part of most gynecological annual exams. Since the Pap smear test began to be implemented 50 years ago, it has greatly reduced the cases of cervical cancer...

Classes of Pap Smears

In 2001, the Bethesda System was developed and is now widely used for classification of pap smears, according to the American Social Health Association. This system groups types of abnormal paps together and makes it easier for clinicians to know...

How to Prepare for a First Pap Smear

A Pap smear, the common term for a Papanicolaou test, is used to test for cancerous cells on the cervix. According to Harvard Medical School, women who are at least 21 years old should have a Pap smear every 1 to 3 years. Additionally, women...

Pap Smears

What is a Pap Smear (or a Papanicolauo's Test)? Pap smears, also called cervical smears, are very important for women who start having sex in their early teens. This may be because the young cervix is more vulnerable to cancerous changes when...

Abnormal Pap & Colonoscopy

According to the National Institutes of Health, colonoscopy and papanicolaou smear are routine tests used to screen for cancer. A colonoscopy is mainly used to screen for colorectal cancer, while a papanicolaou test or Pap smear is used to screen...

Side Effects of a Pap Smear

A Pap smear is a gynecological test used to evaluate cervical cells in women. During this cervical cancer screening test, which is also called a Pap test, a medical professional removes a small number of cells from a woman's cervix using a tiny...

How to Relax During a Pap Smear

A Pap smear is a very important test to ensure a woman is healthy and free of any signs of cancer or other diseases. Thus it is crucial to learn how to relax during a Pap smear so the test is not difficult. A Pap smear is easier if the doctor has...

What Are the Causes of Atypical Pap Smear?

An obstetrician/gynecologist gives a woman a Pap smear during her annual gynecological examination, which checks for abnormalities in her cervix. The American Pregnancy Association recommends that women get their yearly Pap smear by age 21 or...

Abnormal Pap Test Causes

The pap smear is a laboratory test that's used to analyze a sample of cervical cells to check for abnormalities. Several abnormal pap test causes can cause concern. If a repeat pap test shows the same abnormalities, other diagnostic testing may be...

Abnormal Pap Treatments

The Pap test is a procedure that collects cells from the cervix and vagina for examination under a microscope. Its main use is as a screening test for cervical cancer, which is linked to human papilloma virus (HPV). The treatment of an abnormal...

Reasons for Abnormal Pap Tests

The pap smear is a laboratory test that is performed on cervical cells to determine whether cellular changes are present. These changes can indicate a precancerous condition or the presence of cancer in the female reproductive tract....

What Do Pap Smears Detect?

A Pap smear is a cervical cancer test that involves taking a sample of cells from a woman's cervix (lower, narrow end of the uterus). When caught in an early stage, cervical cancer has a much better chance of being cured. The National Institute...

What Do Pap Smears Test for?

Once considered the leading killer among women, cervical cancer is no longer the menacing threat it used to be. And Pap smears are largely the reason why. In fact, the American Cancer Society credits Pap smears with slashing cervical cancer deaths...

What Are the Treatments for Abnormal Pap Smears?

A pap smear is a procedure that tests for the presence of cancerous cells in the cervix. The cervix is the narrow end of the uterus that sits on top of the vagina. A pap smear is performed by taking a sample of the cells in the cervix and...

Can a Pap Test Tell If You Have HIV?

A pap test is commonly used to detect cervical cancer, not HIV. A pap test, which is also known as a pap smear, looks for changes in the cells of the cervix, according to WomensHealth.gov. The cervix is the part of the uterus that connects to the...

Causes of an Irregular Pap Smear

Pap tests are an important part of a woman's routine health exam and have greatly reduced the number of cases of cervical cancer. The Pap test or Pap smear looks for cell changes on the cervix that might become cancer. An irregular Pap test means...

What Are the Causes of Bleeding After a Pap Smear?

It is natural to have a few drops of blood following a pap smear. The Center for Young Women’s Health states that a woman usually has her first pap smear around 21, unless there is a special risk such as immune problems, HIV disease, early...

ACOG Pap Smear Guidelines

A Pap smear is a routine laboratory diagnostic test used by gynecologists to detect cell changes in a woman's cervix that might indicate a precancerous or cancerous condition. Until 2003, when the American College of Obstetricians and...

Pap Smear Health Video (Video)

A pap smear is a gynecological test designed to detect premalignant and malignant processes in the cervix and uterus. Get tips and advice on preventing, diagnosing, and treating cervical and uterine cancer in this medical video.

Menstrual Disorders Health Video (Video)

Menstrual disorders refer to any abnormality in the menstrual cycle in a woman. Get expert tips and advice on diagnosing and treating menstrual disorders in this video.

Cervical Cancer Health Video (Video)

Cervical Cancer is found in women's reproductive organs and is caused by HPV (Human Papillomavirus). Learn more about this cancer in this video and ways to recognize and treat it.

Uterine Cancer Health Video (Video)

Uterine cancer is a major problem in women's health. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for cancer of the uterus in this video.