A Pap smear is a test your doctor does to check for signs of cancer of the cervix. The cervix is part of your uterus (womb). During a Pap smear, your doctor takes a sample of cells from your cervix to be tested.

To take the sample, your doctor will put a special instrument called a speculum into your vagina. This helps open your vagina so the sample can be taken. Your doctor will gently clean your cervix with a cotton swab and then collect a sample of cells with a small brush, a tiny spatula or a cotton swab. This sample is put on a glass slide and sent to a lab to be checked.


The cells on the slide are checked for signs that they are changing from normal. Cells go through a series of changes before they turn into cancer. A Pap smear can show if your cells are going through these changes long before you have cancer. Cervical cancer is not life-threatening if it's caught early. This is why getting regular Pap smears is so important.

• A negative Pap smear means that your results are normal
• A positive Pap smear means that your results are not normal. A positive Pap smear can be a sign of a number of changes in the cells on your cervix

You should have your first Pap smear when you start having sex or by age 18.

Continue having a Pap smear once a year until you've had at least 3 normal ones. After this, you should have a Pap smear at least every 3 years, unless your doctor thinks you need them more often. Keep having Pap smears throughout your life, even after you've gone through menopause.

Certain things put you at higher risk of cervical cancer. Your doctor will consider these when recommending how often you should have a Pap smear.

If you're older than 65, talk with your doctor about how often you need a Pap smear. If you've been having Pap smears regularly and they've been negative, you may not need to keep having them.


No test is perfect, but the Pap smear is a reliable test. It has helped drastically lower the number of women who die of cervical cancer.

Sometimes the test may need to be redone because there were not enough cells on the slide. The lab will tell your doctor if this happens.

ThinPrep, PAPNET and FocalPoint are ways to make Pap smears more accurate.

• ThinPrep is a way of preparing the sample of cells that makes it easier to spot abnormalities
• PAPNET and FocalPoint are computer systems that help lab technicians find abnormal cells

These options may not be available in all areas, and they may increase the cost of a Pap smear


Plan to have your test done at a time when you aren't having your menstrual period. Don't douche, use a feminine deodorant or have sex for 24 hours before the test.


If the result of a Pap smear is positive, the doctor may want to do another Pap smear or a colposcopy. Using an instrument called colposcope the physician gets a better look of the cervix and is able to take a sample of tissue to have a biopsy done. The doctor will explain the results to the patient and discuss treatment options.


The main risk factors for cervical cancer are related to sexual practices (see the box to the right). Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may make your cells more likely to undergo changes that can lead to cancer. STDs include HPV, herpes, gonorrhea and chlamydia. HPV is the virus that can cause genital warts. It seems to be very closely connected with these changes.



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