If a big percentage of women around the world were asked to explain what a pap smear test is all about, some would fail.
I have always read or heard about it but never bothered to take it or even understand why it is important for all women reproductive health till recently when I lost someone close to cervical cancer.
Now today I wonder how many women out there are as reluctant to visit their gynecologist as the person I lost was, or as myself.
It is hard to tell what exactly blocks most of us to let an expert check how fit or unfit those private parts are at a given time.
Probably, it is lack of knowledge or overlooking the fact that we could actually have potential symptoms of cancer or any other illness.
In this article I will tell you what I found out from all the materials I read about Pap smear tests.
What is this?
If you ask someone who take these tests regularly, they will tell you there is no pain, but feel a little discomfort.
These test are necessary for any woman to reduce the chances of getting cervical cancer because it can be detected on time.
A unique instrument known as a speculum is used to open your vagina and allow the doctor to observe your cervix and take a sample of cells to be tested.
The sample taken is checked to verify if the cells are normal or changing from what is considered normal.
The many times a woman goes for Pap smear tests, the higher the chances of her reproductive organ being healthy.
The test results
Just like people are hesitant to take the HIV infection tests because of what the results may be, some women inclusive of me fear that the doctor could actually confirm they are developing the cancer or other disease.
However, it is better to deal with the worst than stay in the dark and suffer later for something that could have been prevented or cured.
If a woman has been ailing unknowingly, the positive tests may reveal what these diseases are and not necessarily concluding that she has cervical cancer.
Ahead of you receiving the end results, the doctor in question will have done systematic exams on the sample of cells.
The acceptable results show that the cells were completely normal. Vaginal diseases are many and they also cause inflamed cells and your gynecologist advises best on remedial measures.
Research shows that the best time to have the Pap smear tests done on you are not during your menstruation; you should not douche or use deodorants.
I am not sure about the relationship between being sexually dormant or active and receiving positive or negative results, but as it is agreed, being active without protection exposes women to more danger to infections.
The time to start having these tests regularly is now. I saw the person I lost to cervical cancer all through her sickness and it was really painful and hopeless for her and us.
I found my self-wondering if an alternative therapy like herbal that has been proven to cure many diseases could have healed her.
Now I realize that her cancer was already advanced to a level of chances of either dying or surviving.
If only she took the Pap smear tests regularly, the cancer could have been revealed much earlier.
The good news is that you and me are alive today and aware of the benefits of getting tested and let us start today!
NOTE: use the information above for the purposes of knowledge. The right person to explain this better to all women of the universe is their gynecologist.
An original article by Esteri Maina on
PAP SMEAR TEST
