When you have your period, the blood and other tissue can affect the results of the test. Unless your provider advises otherwise, it's best to schedule a Pap smear for one to two weeks after you expect your period, or five days after your period ends.1 If your cycle is unpredictable a...
A negative result is a good thing. That means your doctor didn’t find any precancerous or cancerous cells on your cervix. You won’t need another Pap smear until you’re due for your next scheduled one. Abnormal Pap Smear If your results come back positive, it doesn’t automatically m...
Preparing properly for your Pap smear test will contribute to more accurate results. Frequency Females should begin getting routine Pap smears within three years of becoming sexually active or by the age of 21. Females between the ages of 21-65 should get Pap smears about every three years or ...
or interpret, test results. Under the Bethesda System, Pap smear samples that have no cell abnormalities are reported as "negative for intraepithelial lesionor malignancy" (meaning the woman does not have cancer).
How will I find out the results of my Pap smear? The results of the Pap smear are usually available within one to two weeks. At the end of Pap smear testing, each woman should ask how she should expect to be informed about the results of her Pap smear. If a woman has not learned...
"If those 99 women live their lives as if they’re going to develop cancer, " she says, "we’re not necessarily doing them any good. " At present, the HPV test is approved in the US only to help resolve ambiguous results from a Pap-smear test. Many gynecologists believe that HPV ...
has been used. It was hoped that expanding the categories and giving more specific information about the cells in the smear would limit the amount of over-treatment. Unfortunately, the new classifications have doubled the number of women with abnormal results, so, instead of fewer needless hyster...
No one wants to receive a call from their gyno explaining that they had an abnormal Pap smear. For starters, “abnormal” doesn’t only carry a pretty negative connotation, but it’s also unspecific! Abnormal how? And what comes next after abnormal Pap smear results? There’s basically ...
The Pap test (or Pap smear) and the HPV (human papillomavirus) test are specific tests used during screenings for cervical cancer. If a pre-cancer is found, it can be treated, stopping cervical cancer before it really starts. Most invasive cervical cancers are found in women who have not...
The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus and abnormal Pap smear in HIV-seropositive women, particularly in HIV-seropositive women who undertook antiretroviral drug. The consecutive series of 178 HIV-seropositive women was enrolled in the Department ...