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