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During a Pap test, it’s easy to assume that your doctor is doing everything possible to screen you for cancers and precancerous changes in your cervix, including testing you for HPV.
The Papanicolaou test (abbreviated as Pap test, also known as Pap smear (AE), [1] cervical smear (BE), cervical screening (BE), [2] or smear test (BE)) is a method of cervical screening used to detect potentially precancerous and cancerous processes in the cervix (opening of the uterus or womb) or, more rarely, anus (in both men and women). [3]
Women aged 30–65 should preferably be tested every 5 years with both the HPV test and the Pap test. In other age groups, a Pap test alone can suffice unless they have been diagnosed with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US). [133] Co-testing with a Pap test and HPV test is recommended because it decreases the rate of ...
In England, the NHS cervical screening programme is available to women aged 25 to 64; women aged 25 to 49 receive an invitation every 3 years and women aged 50 to 64 receive an invitation every 5 years to undergo HPV testing. [15] [16] If there is a positive HPV test result, then patients undergo further cytology (Pap smear). [15]
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In a pap smear, a gynecologist uses a speculum to open the walls of the vagina, and then uses an instrument to collect cells from the cervix. As the Mayo Clinic notes, it “may feel uncomfortable.
Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer may include loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, pelvic pain, back pain, leg pain, swollen legs, heavy vaginal bleeding, bone fractures, and (rarely) leakage of urine or faeces from the vagina. [39] Bleeding after douching or after a pelvic exam is a common symptom of cervical cancer. [40]
Although women often undergo well-woman examinations on an annual basis, the interval for this visit and exam will vary depending on the needs of the patient. [3] The purpose of this exam in asymptomatic women is to screen for potential abnormalities, such as sexually transmitted infections, and malignancy.