Have you ever had a smear come back as abnormal? I have...

One thing to remember is that almost all abnormal Pap Smear results are not due to cancer and can be treated easily and successfully (National Cervical Screening Program 2007).

Fact

No one knows  if we fall into the safe and treatable or the bad and unbeatable and the easiest way to find this out – is by having a PAP SMEAR.

The Pap Smear looks for changes in the cells of the cervix and is able to detect, for the most, early warning signs of cancer. The National Cervical Screening Program has reported that approximately one in every ten pap smear result indicates some form of abnormality. Most of which are not serious and not cancerous.

If you have abnormal results don’t panic. All this means is that there are some cells that look different from what a normal one should look like.

Low Grade Abnormalities

The most common cause for abnormal Smears is through an infection called HPV (I’ve included a link at the bottom that discusses HPV well).  In short, this is a sexually transmitted virus which 4 our of 5 people will find they have at some time during their life and not even know about (National Cervical Screening Program 2007).

Low grade abnormalities do not normally require treatment as doctors have found that the HPV is the most common offender and it is more likely to clear up on its own. Doctors will usually repeat a pap smear after 6 months or even a year to check the progress  (National Cervical Screening Program 2007).

High Grade Abnormalities

The National Cervical Screening Program states that most high grade abnormalities are also due to a HPV infection which has not been detected and if untreated for years - can lead to cancer.

Your doctor may refer you to have a colposcopy. This is done by a specialist who uses a special microscope too examine and magnify the cervix (National Cervical Screening Program 2007). The colposcopy will be able to confirm whether or not you have a high grade abnormality or not. If you do, the doctor will more than likely perform a biopsy of the cervix (National Cervical Screening Program 2007).

Glandular Abnormalities

This is another reason smears come back as abnormal – although this is more uncommon and the changes are considered to be unimportant in most women. There are some women who have glandular abnormalities that do need to be treated so as to prevent cancer, however, pap smears are not as reliable in this instance and further test will be ordered for correct diagnosis  (National Cervical Screening Program 2007).

There are several good links, which I have added to this, that cover this issue and in more depth. My aim was just to remind women not to forget about their smears and to explain a few things regarding the results.

So many women die each year of cervical cancer and some could have been prevented. It may not be a nice test to have done, but cancer is not a nice disease either. What would you prefer?

Make an appointment, get it done and do yourself a favour – Your life is worth it!

Cheers

OB