What's a pap smear for..?

What does a pap smear reveal when you get one? Like what's the purpose of it? The bearing my question is worded, I'm bound to carry some smart alec answers.. lol
Answers:

Am I ever going to go thru puberty?

it is done to check for abnormal or malignant cell in your cervix to detect rash signs of cervical cancer because cervical cancer, once spotted early, can be smoothly treated. So this implies that doing annual pap smear is a preventive method.

Period quiz?

to check for abnormal cell, and if they're cancerous

After so long no period?

From Bella Gynecology

The Dreaded Pap. Most of us enjoy them as part of our routine gynecologic safekeeping. You know the drill – lie on the nouns table with legs spread, foot in stirrups, knees bent. Not a dignified experience, to read aloud the least. But what you might not know is that those 20 minutes of unpleasantness could pick up your life.

What Is It?

The Papanicolaou Smear [aka Pap Test, Pap Smear] is perform as part of a routine pelvic exam. The Test is used detect precancerous cell, inflammation, infection and abnormalities of the cervix – including cervical cancer. Approximately 20,000 spanking new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed annually and account for an estimated 7,600 death each year. The Pap Test can detect the earliest signs of this cancer, and is the best means of access to ensure early intervention and treatment.

How Is It Performed?

After “assuming the position,” the gynecologist will introduce a speculum into the vagina. A speculum is a small instrument used to open out the walls of the vaginal canal, affording visualization of the interior. A sampling of cell is then taken from the cervical strait by scraping the outside of the cervix beside a device remarkably resembling a spatula, followed by the insertion of a small brush (the cervix brush or “Papette, which looks not unlike, of all things, a pipe cleaner). Once the cell samples are taken, they are fixed to a slide or placed contained by a bottle containing preservative and sent off to a lab.

The entire procedure can span between 10-20 minutes and can be mildly, albeit temporarily, painful.

What Should You NOT Do Before a Pap?

Do not diary your Pap during menstruation. The optimum time to undergo the Test is approximately 10-20 days *after* the *first day* of your *last* term. Avoid intercourse, baths, douching and use of vaginal creams, suppositories, foams, medications, deodorant sprays or powders for 24 hours prior to the Test contained by order to avoid not exact results.

What Happens After?

If your results are normal – “negative” – zilch further is needed. If abnormal results are reported – “positive” – further investigation will be perform. In the case of infections, appropriate treatment will be prescribed. In the casing of cell changes, a colposcopy may be perform, in which a special microscope is used to examine the cervix remarkably closely. A biopsy will also likely be taken and further tested for abnormality.

Paps are highly forceful, but there is a slight kismet of “false positive” or “false negative” results. In such cases, you and your physician will decide on the correct course of further trialling and/or treatments.

When – and How Often - Should You Get Tested?

Previously, women began undergo Pap Tests after becoming sexually active or at age 18, whichever come first. Updated guidelines now hail as for screening to start approximately 3 years after first sexual intercourse or age 21, whichever comes first. Many gynecologists also previously recommended annual screenings; however, the updated guidelines now recommend continued annual screenings with the sole purpose for women age 30 and under, and contained by those women 30 and over who have have positive results on previous Paps. Those women who have have negative results within three previous consecutive Paps may be advised to go through screenings every 2-3 years. Of course, there are other exceptions. High-risk women will receive more frequent screenings based on their personal situations and at their doctor’s discretion.

Women who own had a total hysterectomy next to removal of the cervix for non-malignant reasons may discontinue routine Paps at their personal physician’s counsel, however; women who have undergone hysterectomy, but hold a history of abnormal cell growth, should verbs to undergo annual Paps until their gynecologist recommend otherwise.

Your gynecologist will determine when you can stop having Pap screenings base on your personal situation; generally, this ranges between ages 60-70.

Regardless of how repeatedly you and your physician decide you should hold a Pap Test, you should still be sure to undergo your annual pelvic and gynecologic exams.

"A Necessary Evil"

Most women will agree, undergo a Pap Test is not high on their detail of favorite things to do. However, this relatively quick procedure can detect - and facilitate proper and timely treatment of - different infections and one of the most common cancer. It is important to bear routine screenings based on your gynecologist's recommendation: the Pap Test can save your existence.

Sources:

National Women’s Health Information Center, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office on Women's Health:
http://www.4woman.gov/faq/pap.htm#2...

U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/...

American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG):
http://www.acog.org/from_home/publicatio...

“Optimizing the Papanicolaou Smear,” by E.J. Mayeaux, MD, LSU Health Sciences Center:
http://www.sh.lsuhsc.edu/fammed/outpatie...