Pap Smears.

I'm going for my first visit, and they told me that the doctor will want to do a Pap smear. What is a Pap smear?
A Pap smear removes some cells from your cervix and tests for abnormal cells in the cervical area.

Why does the doctor do a Pap smear at this time?
If you had a normal Pap smear in the last few months, you won't need it. If it has been a year or more since you had the test, you should have a Pap smear. The goal of a Pap smear is to find problems early so they are easier to deal with.

I saw my obstetrician a week ago, and the office just called to tell me my Pap smear wasn't normal. Will I need a biopsy?
It depends on how serious the problem might be. Usually a biopsy is not done while you're pregnant. Your doctor will probably wait until after your pregnancy for further testing. Instead of removing tissue for a biopsy, he or she may do a colposcopy (a very careful look at the cervix). An abnormal Pap smear during pregnancy is an individual situation and must be handled carefully.

I had a Pap smear after my baby was born and it was normal, but the Pap smear I had before that was abnormal. Is this a mistake?
Not necessarily. Women who deliver vaginally may see a change in abnormal Pap smears. One study showed that 60% of a group of women who were diagnosed with high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions in the cervix before giving birth had normal Pap smears after their baby was born. Researchers believe that dilatation of the cervix during labor may slough off the precancerous cells, or the baby may scrape them off as it moves down the birth canal.

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