Pap Smear
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Dr Emily Women's Health Center
Board Certified Obstetrics & Gynecology located in Bronx, NY
Prevention is an important part of maintaining good health. Pap smears serve as a screening tool for cervical cancer, which, when caught early, improves your response to treatment and a full recovery. The progressive gynecological practice, Dr. Emily Women’s Health Center in the Longwood area of the Bronx, New York, conducts Pap smears to help you manage your health. To schedule your screening test, contact the office by phone or online booking tool today.
Pap Smear
What is a Pap smear?
A Pap smear is a screening tool for women that looks for changes in their cervical cells to assess the risk of cervical cancer. Forty years ago, cervical cancer was the most common cause of cancer death in women in the United States. Since that time, death from cervical cancer has decreased dramatically, thanks to routine Pap smears.
How often do I need to get a Pap smear?
You should start getting routine Pap smears at age 21. It’s generally recommended that women continue with regular Pap smear screenings every three years up until age 65.
However, the team at Dr. Emily Women's Health Center may recommend more frequent Pap smears if you have a family history of cervical cancer, history of an abnormal Pap smear or cervical cancer, a weakened immune system, or had exposure to diethylstilbestrol (a synthetic estrogen that was discontinued in 1971) before birth.
What happens during a Pap smear?
Pap smears are a simple test conducted at the office. Your woman’s health expert has you sit on a gynecological exam table with your feet up, similar to your annual pelvic exam.
Your provider then inserts a speculum into your vagina to separate the walls and allow better access to your cervix. Then, they gently swab a sample of tissue from your cervix, place your sample in an airtight container, and has it sent to the lab for testing.
The entire test takes less than five minutes. You may experience mild cramping during the test and some spotting afterward. It may take up to a week to get your results.
What if my Pap smear results are positive?
In most cases, Pap smears are negative. But if your Pap smear is positive, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have cervical cancer. To further evaluate your tissue, the team at Dr. Emily Women's Health Center may recommend a colposcopy, which is a gynecological procedure that allows your provider to more closely evaluate your cervical tissue and take additional samples if needed.
Pap smears are an important part of your health care routine. Call Dr. Emily Women's Health Center today or use the online booking tool to schedule your test.
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