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Pap smears are part of a yearly preventative care routine for most women. Many women, however, are unfamiliar with the subsequent tests that are performed as part of a pap smear and the diseases these the pap smear tests for.
Procedure
The pap test is done as part of a pelvic exam. A speculum is inserted into the vagina and expanded so the physician can have easier access to the cervix in order to collect a sample of the surface cells. The sample is taken using a brush or spatula to scrape the surface of the cervix.
Lab
After the sample is collected by the doctor, the cells are transferred to a glass microscope plate or placed into a solution to be examined by a laboratory. The lab will look for cells that show infection and cancerous or precancerous cells.
Testing
While the pap test can occasionally find cells that are signs of infection, the pap test is not tuned to look specifically for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The primary goal of a pap test is to determine if the patient is at risk for cervical cancer.
Results
Laboratories notify doctors once the test is complete. If the laboratory found abnormal cells or had too few cells in the test sample, the patient is called back for a repeat exam.
STDs
If the lab finds cells that identify an infection in the patient, the physician may recommend a second pap smear or separate STD testing.
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