Majority of deaths caused by cervical cancer can be avoided if it is detected early by running a yearly pap smear. Cervical cancer is not a disease of the elderly. Instead, the average age of diagnosis of cervical cancer is just 47 years old and about 47% of women with invasive cervical cancer are younger than 35 years of age.
What are pap smears?
A Pap smear, also known as Pap test, is a medical procedure to test for cervical cancer in women. It involves using a soft brush to take a small sample of cells from the narrow end of your uterus located at the top of your vagina called the cervix. It is a fast procedure that is relatively devoid of pain and takes few minutes.
The American Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that women should have a Pap smear every three years beginning at age 21. After age 30, your doctor may decrease the frequency to every three years if you’ve had three normal Pap test results in a row and if your immune system has not been weakened by a virus or recent health condition.
Importance of Pap smear
A lot of women can save their lives if they get pap smears test at least yearly. If the Pap test identifies any crooked cells that have the potential to develop into cervical cancer, women can get the appropriate treatment they need right away to stop the cancer from growing.
Note that Pap smears are not basically designed to spot cervical cancer. Instead, cervical cancer screening is used to find changes in the cells of the cervix that could lead to cancer. Consequently when irregular cells are detected by Pap smear, your doctor will administer certain treatments to stop the cancer from developing.
Pap smear Procedure
Pap smears are usually painless and are usually carried out during a pelvic exam. Your OBGYN will guide you through the whole process which usually takes no more than a few minutes. A speculum which is a device used to picture the vagina, gives the doctor a better view of the cervical area. The doctor will then swab your cervix with a soft brush to collect cells from the cervix. The sample is sent to the lab to look for any abnormal cells under a microscope.
Doctors recommend that all sexually active women older than 21 should start having pap smears done on a regular basis.
Source: http://www.healthdiary365.com/2018/01/15/the-importance-of-getting-yearly-pap-smears/