During a Pap smear the most uncomfortable part will be when the doctor inserts a speculum into your vagina. However, the pain should be minimal and brief. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images A Pap smear is a ...

Maybe you had a bad experience with your last Pap smear and you’re wary of going back to the ob-gyn. Or maybe you’ve never had one before and are scared to make the appointment. It’s understandable to ...

During a Pap smear, the medical provider swabs the patient's cervix to collect a cell sample. The cell sample is then sent to a lab, where pathologists analyze the sample under a microscope to check ...

Women should get a pap smear every three years because it can detect early warning signs of cervical cancer.

Dr. Carla Picardo wants to clear up the confusion about pap smears. A pap smear is a routine procedure to test for cervical cancer in women. Cells are collected from a woman's cervix — the lower, ...

If there is a woman out there who enjoys getting a pap smear, we have yet to find her. It’s a cold and awkward experience at ...

I was 23 when I had my first pap smear, and I didn’t even know what the procedure tested for. While out one Saturday evening with three of my girlfriends, I sat in silence as they discussed their most ...

Patients may be able to now use a long swab to collect samples for HPV testing — skipping the sometimes painful pap smear Getty (2) A new self-administered test for HPV — the virus that causes most ...

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Pap smears are screening tools to detect any abnormal changes in cervical cells which may indicate cancer or HPV.