Women's Health and Pap Smears

Women's health is the branch of medicine that is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that specifically affect a woman's physical and emotional well-being.  Being a woman myself, I am positioned well to understand and care for the health of other women.  

Certain tests should be performed routinely on women to make sure they are remaining healthy.  One of these tests is a pap smear, also known as a pap test.  These are performed every 3-5 years in healthy women to test your cervix for anything that is not normal.  The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (the womb) which then opens into the vagina. If there are abnormal cells here, it can lead to cervical cancer.  

Pap smears are used to detect precancerous cells on the cervix so they can help you prevent cervical cancer.  Although cervical cancer is often caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) which is spread through genital or anal contact, you should get routine Pap smears even if you aren't sexually active.

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During the pap smear, a speculum is gently placed in your vagina which will allow greater visibility of your cervix.  A soft brush is then used to collect cells from the outside of your cervix.  This sample will then be sent to a lab for testing.

Pap smears generally will not hurt.  If this is your first one, you may find the experience slightly uncomfortable simply because these are new sensations you haven't experienced before.  I will help talk you through the process. Pap smears usually take less than 1 minute to perform.

It is generally recommended that women ages 21-29 should have a pap smear every 3 years and women ages 30-65 should have a pap smear every 5 years.

Schedule online now or call/text me for your appointment.