Monitoringclub.org | What is a pap smear? Cervical cancer is one of the deadliest diseases for women. Apart from several factors, this is also inseparable from the lack of public awareness of dangerous diseases that can take women’s lives in an instant. So, what steps can be taken?
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. One of the things that can be done to detect cervical cancer is doing a PAP smear. This method can be said to be effective because it can help detect the presence of cancer cells from the start.
1. What is a Pap smear?
PAP smear or pap test is a process of detecting cervical cancer cells in women. In the process, PAP smear collects cells found in the female cervix, from the bottom to the top of the vagi**na.
Detecting cervical cancer cells with a PAP smear early on can provide a great opportunity for patients in the healing process. Besides that, PAP smear can also detect changes that occur in women’s cervical cells that allow the cancer to develop later in life.
Detect abnormal cells with PAP smear is the first step for women to stop the development of cervical cancer cells in the future.
2. The age range for doing pap smear
Though PAP smear able to detect cervical cancer cells in women, but not all ages can do it. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends women aged 21-65 to do a PAP smear regularly.
If the test results are normal, the doctor will advise the patient to do the test PAP smear come back in the next 3 years to see the changes.
Meanwhile, National Institutes of Health do not recommend women with an age range of 21 years and under to do PAP smear. They also do not advise elderly women who have entered the age of 65 years and over to do PAP smear.
3. Tools used in doing pap smears
In doing the PAP smear, of course you have to follow the applicable procedures. Well, one of them is by using the appropriate tools. When PAP smears When this happens, the doctor will use an instrument called a speculum to be inserted into the vagi**na.
The speculum itself is in the form of a duck funnel to open the vagi**nal wall to the cervical area. Apart from that, there is also such a thing cervical spatula which collects cells for testing. Then, there vagi**nal swabs, cytobrush, liquid-based crytology container, and lubricants.
4. How long does the pap smear process take?
When the PAP smear process in progress, the doctor will ask the patient to remove the entire clothing or only from the bottom. After that, the patient is invited to lie down to start the PAP smear process. When the speculum is inserted into the vagi**nal area, the patient will feel a slight pressure in the pelvic area.
PAP smear process only takes about a few minutes. After a sample of the cells has been taken, the doctor will place the sample into the container specifically to be brought to the lab.
5. Things not to do during Pap smear
Before doing PAP smear, make sure you avoid some of the prohibited conditions. These conditions such as menstruation, having se**x, using tampons, being under medication, and several other conditions.
To avoid unwanted things, you also have to do a consultation first so that the doctor knows the condition of your body. The doctor will determine if you are worth doing the PAP smear or not.
Paying attention to reproductive health should no longer be a taboo subject to be discussed. By running a series of PAP smear test, of course this can help women detect cervical cancer cells that developed early on.
