Keeping Women Well
By Madison Smith, PA-C, MPAS, BSc, Community Health Center of Yavapai
Every day, thousands of women visit doctors’ offices for their Well Woman Exam, and afterward, they anxiously await their Pap smear results. What exactly do these results mean, and if they’re abnormal, what are the next steps?
A Papanicolaou or Pap smear test has been part of a routine Well-Woman care exam since its inception by Greek physician George Nicholas Papanicolaou in 1920 (1). This simple test has drastically decreased the incidence of cervical cancer over the past 40 years. Performed during a pelvic exam, a Pap smear is designed to screen for cervical cancer (the fourth most common form of cancer affecting women worldwide (2)) and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in women.
There are two components to a Pap smear. The first is a small sample of cervical cells, which a cytologist examines under a microscope to look for changes consistent with cervical cancer (this is called cytology and is done for all women ages 21-65). The second component, performed for women over 30, is testing for HPV, which is the leading cause of cervical cancer.
When a Pap comes back abnormal, it is important to understand which component is abnormal: the cytology or the HPV.
The cytology results can range from normal to cancerous. When the cells appear abnormal in a Pap smear, the next step is usually a colposcopy. During a colposcopy, the provider uses a microscope to better view the cervix and take a biopsy. This procedure is usually not painful and is completed in the physician’s office. Depending on what is found after a colposcopy, women may be able to resume routine screening (usually every 3-5 years) or be referred to a gynecologist for further treatment.
If the HPV component is positive, the frequency of Pap smears will increase to yearly to look for cellular changes. For the majority of women, routine screening is all they will ever need.
Abnormal test results can be scary and cause a lot of anxiety. Knowing what the next steps are and what is abnormal can help reduce that anxiety. Working with your provider and asking questions about what will happen next is the first step to successfully addressing abnormal results. Community Health Center of Yavapai is pleased to announce that we are able to assist women in all of their health screening needs.
For more information about the Community Health Center of Yavapai, visit www.chcy.org or call 928.771.3122.
Works Cited
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4613936/
- https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/cancer-trends/worldwide-cancer-data