Pap smear

Madhuri has always been aware of her health. She watches what she eats, exercises regularly and pays attention to what her body tells her. She is 37 years old and has heard about the Pap smear. She wants to know if she should have one. What is the Pap smear, anyway?

Cancer of the cervix is one of the commonest cancers in Indian women. One of the great strides in preventive medicine was the introduction of the Pap smear, more than 50 years ago. The Pap test has greatly reduced the number of deaths caused by cervical cancer. The Pap test is used to find changes in the cells of the cervix that could lead to cancer. Once these changes are treated, cancer can be prevented.

Most women should have Pap smears on a regular basis. Regular Pap smears can help find problems early so that they can be treated before they become serious.

The cervix:

The cervix (the mouth of the uterus) is the lower, narrow end of a woman's uterus. It opens into the vagina (the birth canal). The cervix is covered by a thin layer of cells. The cells that cover the cervix grow and are replaced all the time. During this growth, the cells at the bottom layer slowly move to the surface. These cells are shed when they reach the surface.

What is a Pap smear?

A Pap smear or cervical cytology screening is a simple test to look at cells taken from the cervix. It tells your doctor if there are any abnormal cells on the cervix that may lead to cancer. The Pap test does not detect cancer in other parts of the body.

A Pap smear is a simple and fast procedure. It is most often done in a doctor's clinic along with a pelvic exam. A small number of cells are removed from the cervix by gently scraping the surface with a brush or spatula. The cell sample is then sent to a lab for testing.

The cell sample is placed on a glass slide before it is sent to the lab. At the lab, the sample is carefully examined using a microscope to see if abnormal cells are present.