The Pap test, or Pap smear, is a way to check cells from the cervix (the lower part of the uterus or womb) and the vagina. This test can find precancerous changes or cancer of the cervix or vagina. A Pap test will only rarely detect cancer of the ovaries or cancer of the upper part of the uterus (endometrial cancer). It can also find some infections of the cervix and vagina.

A Pap test is simple, quick, and painless; it can be done in a doctor's office, a clinic, or a hospital. While a woman lies on an exam table, the clinician inserts a speculum into her vagina to widen it. A sample of cells is taken from the cervix with a wooden scraper and/or a small cervical brush. The specimen (or smear) is placed on a glass slide and preserved with a fixative, or is rinsed in a vial of fixative, and is sent to a laboratory for examination.

Doctors and other specially trained health care professionals, such as physician assistants, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners, may perform Pap tests and pelvic exams. These individuals are often called clinicians.

Women should talk with their clinician about when and how often they should have a Pap test. Current general guidelines recommend that women have a Pap test at least once every 3 years, beginning about 3 years after they begin to have sexual intercourse, but no later than age 21. Experts recommend waiting about 3 years after the start of sexual activity to avoid overtreatment for common, temporary abnormal changes. It is safe to wait 3 years, because cervical cancer usually develops slowly.

Cancer of the cervix is one of the most preventable of all cancers. Pap tests pick up early warning signs that can be treated before cancer develops. By having a Pap test every two years, you're giving yourself a chance for anything to be found and treated if necessary.

There is now a service that will help remind you. The NSW Pap Test Register is a confidential record of all Pap tests of women in NSW. It will help you by:

A Pap test, or Pap smear, is part of a woman's routine physical exam. It is the best way to prevent cervical cancer, because it can find cells on your cervix that could turn into cancer. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. When your doctor says that your Pap test was "abnormal," it means that the test found some cells on your cervix that do not look normal. It does not mean that you have cancer. In fact, the chances that you have cancer are very small.

Annually. After several normal pap smears, your doctor may decide not to do a Pap test every year. However, you should still have the rest of the gynecological examination. If you have had a hysterectomy (with the cervix removed) or if you have ever had an abnormal Pap, yearly Pap tests are recommended. If your Paps were always normal before the hysterectomy, you should have a gynecological exam every year and a Pap test every three to five years. Back to top

A PAP test is a simple and relatively painless test that obtains cells from a woman's cervix and a certified cytotechnologist evaluates the cells for abnormalities which may be indicative of cervical cancer. STD testing involves a variety of laboratory tests, depending on which disease is suspected, and is done to determine the presence of sexually transmitted disease.

Most laboratories in the United States use a standard set of terms called the Bethesda System to report test results. Under the Bethesda System, Pap test samples that have no cell abnormalities are reported as "negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy." Samples with cell abnormalities are divided into the following categories: ASC-atypical squamous cells. Squamous cells are the thin flat cells that form the surface of the cervix.

About 55 million Pap tests are performed each year in the United States. Of these, approximately 3.5 million (6 percent) are abnormal and require medical followup.

If the Pap test shows an ambiguous or minor abnormality, the physician may repeat the test to determine whether further followup is needed. Many times, cell changes in the cervix go away without treatment. In some cases, doctors may prescribe estrogen cream for women who have ASC?US and are near or past menopause. Because these cell changes are often caused by low hormone levels, applying an estrogen cream to the cervix for a few weeks can usually help to clarify the cause of the cell changes.

After your health professional takes your medical history, you will have a gynecological exam, which usually includes a Pap test. If your health professional finds areas of abnormal tissue on the cervix (which may be related to HPV infection), he or she may recommend treatment. When your health professional finds abnormal tissue but cannot make a definite diagnosis, you may have a biopsy for lab tissue studies. Testing for the type of HPV that is causing warts is not useful for diagnosis.