Annual OB/GYN Examinations

A pelvic examination is an important part of a woman's health care. An annual pelvic exam should be performed in all females who are sexually active and in all women 21 years of age and older, unless your doctor recommends otherwise. Without regular exams, cancerous cells, infections, and reproductive problems may go unnoticed and untreated.

Traditional Pap Smear: A Pap smear takes only a few minutes and is performed as part of a routine pelvic exam. Pap smears have reduced deaths from cancer of the cervix in the United States by 70% over the past 50 years. A Pap smear is a test that checks for changes in the cells of your cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. A precancerous change in the cells, is called cervical dysplasia, can be detected by a Pap smear. The abnormal cells can develop into cancer if the dysplasia is not discovered and treated in a timely fashion. If the Pap test result is abnormal, more tests are necessary and you will need a follow-up exam.

Women with increased risk factors are those with:

• History of an abnormal Pap smear
• Having sexual intercourse at an early age, a history of many sexual partners
• You or your sexual partner has had a genital wart virus infection
• Cigarette smoking
• History of vulvar or vaginal cancer
• Your mother took the hormone diethylstilbestrol (DES) when she was pregnant with you
• Your immune system is weakened; for example, because you have had a transplant, you are taking immunosuppressive drugs, or you have AIDS
• Your sexual partner has or had cancer of the penis
• Your sexual partner's previous partner had cervical cancer or abnormal cervical cells.

Call Advanced OB/GYN Care at (860) 409-1933 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Marcovici!