A Pap smear is a simple procedure you receive when you visit your gynecologist's office. During the Pap smear, the doctor collects sample cells from the cervix to look for precancerous or cancerous cells. The procedure helps detect cervical cancer and other problems in their early stages, so it is an important aspect of routine gynecological care for women.
It is important not to panic if your Pap smear comes back as abnormal. Pap smears are not diagnostic tests. If your doctor tells you your test was abnormal, he or she is simply telling you that the collected cells don't look normal and further testing is warranted.
Reasons for Abnormal Results
- HPV Virus
The human papilloma virus, or HPV, is extremely common. This virus causes genital warts, and it is spread through sexual contact. It is estimated that as many as 60% of adult women have the virus and most of them are unaware. Although some types of HPV will resolve on their own, one strain can lead to cervical cancer.
- Herpes
Herpes, another sexually transmitted virus, can cause the appearance of abnormal cells during an outbreak. Not all herpes flareups are visible, and some do occur inside of the vagina or on the cervix itself. Like HPV, women may be unaware they carry the herpes virus.
- Trichomoniasis
A third sexually transmitted infection, trichomoniasis is caused by a parasite. Women who have the infection may experience burning while urinating and may have a greenish or frothy discharge. If the infection is found, it is treatable with antibiotics that your doctor will discuss with you.
- Inflammation or infection
An abnormal pap smear can simply indicate inflammation of the cervix due to recent sexual activity or a yeast infection. Inflammation due to sexual intercourse will resolve on its own, and a yeast infection is treatable by any number of over-the-counter creams.
- Dysplasia
Dysplasia is the term given to precancerous cells found on your cervix. If the cells are in this stage, a woman does not have cancer yet, but it could develop.
Follow-Up
If your Pap smear results are abnormal, your doctor will advise you to do follow-up testing. You can expect a second Pap smear to verify the results. If the second Pap smear is also abnormal, your doctor may perform a colposcopy, which is a procedure in which the doctor looks inside of the vagina with a microscope to better see the cells.
Your doctor may also wish to biopsy the suspicious cellular tissue area. Finally, your doctor may schedule a cryosurgery, during which the problematic cells are frozen and fall off as a result. After any procedure, it is important to schedule and go to any follow-up appointments so the doctor can make certain any abnormal cells were removed.
