Table of contents:
- What is a pap smear examination?
- Who is required to do a pap smear examination?
- Pap smear examination stages
- Before the examination
- During the examination
- After the examination
- How to read pap smear results
- Negative (normal)
- Positive (abnormal)
- How accurate are the results of the pap smear?
- Can a pap smear test detect the HPV virus?
Pap smear is a procedure for examining the cervix in women. The cervix or also known as the cervix is the lowest part of the uterus. The main function of the pap smear examination is as an early detection of cervical cancer (cervical cancer). To be clearer, let's find out more about the pap smear examination through the following explanation.
What is a pap smear examination?
Pap smear examination is a test that is done by collecting cell samples from the cervix for further testing in the laboratory.
This procedure is done as an examination to detect the possibility of cervical cancer (cervical cancer) from an early age.
This examination will show the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells in your cervix. This test can also help show if there are suspicious changes in cervical cells, which are at risk of leading to the development of cancer later in life.
Perform early detection (screening), such as undergoing an IVA test and a pap test with this examination can be a form of cervical cancer prevention, and can provide a greater chance of cure for patients diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The reason is, the earlier cancer cells are found when carrying out a pap smear examination, the sooner cervical cancer treatment can be done. That way, the greater the chance for the patient to recover soon.
By doing this test early, you also prevent the spread of cancer cells to various other organs of the body, such as the uterus, ovaries, lungs, and liver.
Who is required to do a pap smear examination?
Ideally, all women are required to undergo a test to detect cervical cancer on this one. Doctors generally recommend that you do this test for the first time at the age of 21, or at least when you become sexually active. Especially if you have felt various symptoms of cervical cancer.
After that, the right time to repeat the pap smear regularly is every three years until the age of 65.
Ideally, screening for women over 30 years old is once every 5 years, if the examination is accompanied by an HPV test (Human papillomavirus).
However, if you are classified as high risk, you may be recommended to do this test more frequently according to your age.
A woman is said to have a high chance of developing cervical cancer if she has the risk factors. Various risk factors that can cause cervical cancer are:
- Have been diagnosed with cervical cancer, or test resultsscreening previously indicated the development of precancerous cells.
- Exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) before birth.
- Infected with the HPV virus.
- Weak immune system due to organ transplants, chemotherapy, or being on costicosteroid drugs for a long time.
There are several health conditions that it is also advisable to have more frequent tests screening this one. Health conditions that need to have regular pap smears are women who are positive for HIV, and women with weak immune systems.
However, diseases such as ovarian cancer, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, syphilis, genital herpes, and PCOS cannot be detected through this test.
It's not too late to do a pap test even though you are over 30 years of age. If you are a woman, over 30 years of age, and have never had a pap test before, try talking to your doctor.
Generally, this examination is done in conjunction with the HPV test. Both are early detection (screening) tests for cervical cancer.
Pap smear examination stages
The following are some of the stages of a pap smear examination that you need to know.
Before the examination
One of the preparations you need to do before undergoing this examination is to make sure you are not menstruating or will get it in the near future.
The reason is, running a pap smear during menstruation can make the results less accurate. Some other important preparations before carrying out this test are as follows:
- Avoid having sex 1-2 days before the test.
- Avoid cleaning the vagina with douche 1-2 days before the test. Just clean your vagina with warm water.
- Avoid putting vaginal contraceptives, such as foams, creams, or jellies that are placed in the vagina about 1-2 days before the test.
- Avoid using vaginal medicines (unless your doctor prescribes them) two days before the test.
- Make sure you have emptied your bladder right before taking the test.
In addition, some of the things below are conditions that can affect the results of the examination screening. It is recommended that you inform your doctor before having this test.
- Taking drugs, such as birth control pills that contain estrogen or progestin. This is because this drug can affect test results.
- Have had the same test before, and the results are not normal.
- Is pregnant.
In most cases, it is possible and safe to do a Pap test before 24 weeks of gestation. Past that gestational age, this test may be painful and uncomfortable.
If you wish to do this, wait up to about 12 weeks after giving birth to make your Pap test more accurate.
During the examination
The pap smear test is a generally quick and simple process. During the examination, the doctor will ask you to lie down with your legs spread apart (like an astride position) on a special bed, as shown above.
This test is performed using an instrument called a speculum into the vagina. This tool serves to open and widen the vaginal opening.
The next step in this test, the doctor will scrape a sample of cells in your cervix with a special tool in the form of a spatula, soft brush, or a combination of both (cytobrush).
Once successfully collected, a cell sample from the cervix will be placed and collected in a container filled with a special liquid to store the cell sample. Samples can also be put on topslide special glass.
The last process of the pap smear is to send a cell sample to the laboratory for further testing and the results are obtained.
After the examination
As previously explained, a pap smear is a medical examination that is usually painless. But sometimes, your stomach area might feel a little sore or cramp like when you are menstruating.
After the test is done, some of the effects that appear are the vagina feels a little pressure and bleeds a little. No need to panic, this is a normal thing to happen after a pap smear and can get better on its own.
One reason for this to happen is the tension in the vaginal muscles during this test. If the vaginal muscles are more relaxed, the discomfort after this test may be less.
Some people with vaginal dryness may also complain of discomfort, so talk to your doctor before undergoing the testscreeningthis if you do have this complaint.
The results of this test usually come out 1-3 weeks later. If it's negative, it means that your cervix is normal. However, a positive result does not mean you will be diagnosed with cervical cancer immediately.
The test results only show the presence of abnormal cells in the cervix. Usually, re-testing the test a few months later is an important step to confirm cancer is present.
How to read pap smear results
There are two possible results from this test, namely normal or not. The following is an explanation of each result.
A negative pap smear is good news. This means that you do not have abnormal cell growth in the cervix, aka negative from cervical cancer.
That is why a negative test result is also called a normal test result. Even so, that doesn't mean you don't have to do more checks.
You still need to do tests screening this about three years later. This is because cancer cells can grow very slowly.
That is why this test needs to be repeated regularly to monitor the development of cancer cells.
If the test result is positive, aka abnormal, there are two things that can happen.
First, you may be diagnosed with cervical cancer. The second possibility is simply inflammation or small cell changes (dysplasia).
To make sure you have cancer or not, your doctor will usually do another Pap test a few months later. Whether or not you need to do other tests will be determined by the results of the pap smear that you did this.
If the results are still abnormal, the doctor will usually advise you to do further tests to determine the stages of cervical cancer.
One of the follow-up examinations is colposcopy, a follow-up test to view the vulva, vagina, and cervix area using a special magnifying device.
How accurate are the results of the pap smear?
The Pap smear is a test with high accuracy. Reporting from the National Cancer Institute, routine Pap tests can reduce cervical cancer rates and deaths from the disease by up to 80 percent.
So even though it feels uncomfortable, you should prioritize this test. Especially if you are a person who is at high risk for cervical cancer.
This test is one of the most effective ways to detect or even prevent the risk of cervical cancer. If you are diagnosed with cervical cancer, you need to undergo treatment for cervical cancer, including using drugs for cervical cancer, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, to hysterectomy.
In addition, you will also undergo recovery for cervical cancer and maintain a healthy lifestyle, including eating good food for patients with cervical cancer.
Meanwhile, if you are proven not to have cervical cancer, you still need to take precautions, including eating foods that can prevent cervical cancer, exercising regularly, and avoiding various risk factors that can cause cervical cancer.
Can a pap smear test detect the HPV virus?
The main purpose of the pap smear test is to find out the possibility of developing abnormal cells in the cervix. The abnormal development can be caused by the HPV virus.
Therefore, it is highly recommended that you detect cervical cancer early by doing a pap smear. That way, treatment can be immediately given when you are indeed assessed positive for cervical cancer.
The HPV test is one of the early detection of cervical cancer, which is usually done in conjunction with a pap smear examination. This examination is also important, because the HPV virus can be transmitted easily through sexual contact.
That's why the recommended time for women to have a pap smear test is when you start to become sexually active.
