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Instead of getting a Pap smear test, you’ll soon be able to do a self-collection and have your doctor test it for you. (Think of it like the vaginal version of peeing in a cup.)
Due to cost, pain, or other factors, many women avoid traditional Pap smears that test for HPV and cervical cancer—experts say these new self-collection tests could help close that gap.
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.
Normal cervical cells in a Pap smear. In the conventional Pap smear, the collected cells are smeared on a microscope slide, and a fixative is applied. The slide is evaluated in a pathology lab to identify cellular abnormalities. Accuracy of conventional cytology report: [10] sensitivity: 55% to 88%; specificity: 71% to 94%
The Ayre spatula is a device used to collect Pap smear. It is a wooden spatula with U-shaped openings on one side and a flat surface on another. [1] The broad end is for vaginal sample collection and the narrow end is for cervical sample collection. It is rotated 360 degrees in the vagina to obtain the cells to be sent for Pap smear examination.
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]
The FDA has given the green light to a self-collection solution to test for HPV, making it one of the easiest options available in the U.S. for identifying those at risk of cervical cancer.
The Pap test can be used as a screening test, but produces a false negative in up to 50% of cases of cervical cancer. [ 56 ] [ 57 ] Other concerns is the cost of doing Pap tests, which make them unaffordable in many areas of the world.