Why Every Woman Should Get a Pap Smear
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A pap smear examination is a vital test that can tell a doctor so much about what\'s going on inside a woman\'s body. It\'s imperative that every woman have a yearly pap smear to rule out illness and disease. This article will give you very important information about what you should know about your body.
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A Pap smear is a procedure developed by the Greek doctor Georgios Papanikolaou. It is a test usually administered by gynecologists to screen cervical cells for abnormalities which can indicate early developments of cervical cancer or the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV). A woman is advised to get a pap smear at the age of 18 or as soon as she gets sexually active. Since women are at a greater risk for cervical cancer and HPV when sexually active, the frequency that she needs to get a pap smear depends on how sexually active she is. It is recommended for most women to get themselves tested every year while others who have normal results for consecutive years may reduce their pap tests to once every three years.
During a pap smear, a speculum is inserted into the vagina to provide easy access to the cervix. Cells from the opening of the cervix are then swabbed and then transferred on glass slides for laboratory screening. At the laboratory, these samples are stained and viewed under a light microscope. The pathologist or a laboratory personnel trained for the screening then investigates the cells and look for signs of abnormalities. The abnormalities can be symptoms of any of the following:
- carcinoma (or cancer cells)
- candidiasis (a sexually transmitted disease)
- herpes (caused by the herpes simplex virus)
- trichomoniasis ( STD and caused by a parasite called trichomonas vaginalis)
- menopause
Before the pap smear was invented, cervical cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in women putting the infamous breast cancer to shame. But now that more and more women are educated and introduced to this procedure, deaths due to cervical cancer have greatly reduced. A pap smear can indeed prevent further progression of pre-cancerous cells by detecting them early and thus getting them treated before they become full blown cancer cells. Aside from saving many lives by identifying pre-cancerous cells early, it can also lead you to get the necessary treatment for certain sexually transmitted diseases that you were not aware of having. A pap smear is a very quick and easy test. Take care of body and have yourself screened because, woman as you are, you matter. Your life matters.
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