The phone rings. It’s your OB-GYN’s office. As if going to an annual appointment that brings apprehension and anxiety to even the most mindful health enthusiasts wasn’t enough, now your test has been ...

A Papanicolaou test, commonly called a Pap smear, tests for abnormal cells in your cervix — the area connecting the uterus to the vagina — and determines if these cells may be precancerous (called ...

Cervical cancer screening is one of the best success stories in health care. Since the 1970s, the death rate from cervical cancer has dropped by more than half. "The goal of the screening is to detect ...

Your healthcare provider may recommend a repeat Pap smear to confirm the abnormal resultsiStock A Pap smear, or Pap test, is a screening procedure for cervical cancer. During the test, cells from the ...

A yeast infection can impact the results of a Pap smear. The presence of a yeast infection may cause some cells to appear abnormal. However, these cells are not related to cancer. This article ...

During the routine procedure, cells from your cervix are gently scraped away and examined for abnormal growth. The procedure is done at your doctor’s office. It may be mildly uncomfortable, but ...

No, ovarian cysts can’t typically cause abnormal Pap smears. The most common cause of an abnormal Pap smear is infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can lead to changes in the cervical ...

It is possible to have an abnormal smear but a normal colposcopy result. This can happen when someone has a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection but no precancerous mutations in the cervix. Cervical ...

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer found in women worldwide. But thanks to a screening test called a Pap smear, doctors can catch any abnormal cells early and treat them before they ...