Patients are generally told that pap smears will cause pressure or feel like a pinch, but truly intolerable pain is rarely treated as an option, except for in patients with serious sexual trauma ...

Can Pap smear also detect HPV? Sicam clarifies that there’s a separate HPV DNA testing that checks for the presence of human papillomavirus, whose strains are linked to cervical cancer.

When a Pap smear indicates inflammation, it means that the cervical cells appear irritated. This doesn’t automatically point to cancer but can result from a number of benign or infectious causes.

The Pap smear was developed by Dr Georgios Papanicolaou and first reported in 1928. It involves a gynaecologist taking a sample of cells from the surface of the cervix during an internal exam.

If your yearly pap smear test until 3 consecutive years is negative, then it may decrease the frequency to every 3 years. Annual screening for high-risk women is highly recommended.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has introduced a new recommendation that women should undergo HPV testing every five years, rather than a pap smear, to detect cervical cancer.

Getty A photo of a woman with her doctor. If HPV testing is not available, then a pap smear or screening could also be done. A co-test of the two options could be another option, according to Davis.

Your doctor will then use a soft brush and paddle or a broom-like device to gather cells from your cervix. They'll put the cells in a sealed container and send your sample to a lab for testing ...

M aybe you had a bad experience with your last Pap smear and you’re wary of going back to the ob-gyn. Or maybe you’ve never had one before and are scared to make the appointment. It’s ...

PAP smears can help healthcare professionals identify unusual changes to the cervix or precancerous cells on the cervix. This can help a person receive appropriate treatment early, potentially ...