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Every time I go home to Philippines after a contract on the ship, I always go to regular check ups such as dental prophylaxis or dental cleaning, my thyroid lab. test or T3, T4 tests, and pap smear test especially for women. What is a Pap smear? 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. Other terms for Pap smear are Papanicolaou smear, Pap test, and cervical smear. What does it test for? The Pap smear tests for abnormal changes in the cervical cells. The Pap smear may also detect viral infections of the cervix, such as genital warts and herpes. It may detect vaginal infections such as yeast infections or trichomonas. Sometimes the Pap smear can give information about your hormones, especially progesterone and estrogen. Who should get Pap smears? You are at an increased risk for cervical cancer if: * You have had an abnormal Pap smear. * You began to have sexual intercourse in your teens or earlier. * You have a history of many sexual partners. * You or your sexual partner has had a genital wart virus infection. * You smoke cigarettes. * You have had 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 abnormal changes of the penis. * Your sexual partner’s previous partner had abnormal cervical cells. How do I prepare for a Pap smear? Do not douche or use vaginal creams during the 2 days before the test. Do not have intercourse within 24 hours before the Pap smear because it can cause inaccurate test results. What happens during the procedure? A Pap smear takes only a few minutes and is performed as part of a routine pelvic exam. You lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet apart. Your health care provider inserts a speculum into the vagina. The speculum is a tool that holds open the walls of the vagina so your provider can see the cervix. Your provider uses a special swab, brush, or wooden stick to wipe off some cells from the cervix. The cells are sent to a laboratory to be viewed under a microscope. What happens after the procedure? If the cells look normal, no treatment is necessary. The Pap test may show that you have an infection. Your health care provider may treat you for the infection and suggest that you have another Pap test in several months. If the cells look abnormal, more tests may be necessary. What are the benefits of this procedure? Pap smears can detect precancerous and cancerous conditions. If these conditions are discovered, there is a good chance that simple treatment will prevent the development or spread of cancer. Pap smears are also useful for detecting some types of vaginal infections. Source: http://www.med.umich.edu http://images.google.com.ph http://images.google.com.ph

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 10:23 pm and is filed under Health and Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.