PAP Smears

PAP smears are a very important part of your well woman exam. The purpose of the PAP smear is to screen for cervical cancer. You can have a speculum exam and not have a PAP smear.

During a PAP smear, a soft brush is used to collect the cells off of the surface of your cervix. This collection is then sent to a lab that analyzes the appearance of the cells. If the cells appear normal, your next PAP is in 3-5 years. PAP smears start at age 21, regardless of sexual activity. They should be repeated every 3 years until age 30. After age 30, they are repeated every 5 years if normal.

The PAP smear can also test you for HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) infection. HPV comes in many strains, and because its a virus, it can come and go in your body. Some year your PAP might be positive for HPV, and some year it might not be. 90% of the population has HPV- it is sexually transmitted but can also be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact.

The reason why we care about your HPV status is because some strains of HPV can increase your risk for cervical cancer. Sometimes when you are positive for HPV, this means your next PAP should be sooner than expected. Come talk to me about it.