When you get a Pap smear, you do so because you want to be sure that you don’t have cervical cancer. Or, if you do, your OB/GYN catches it soon enough for early treatment and cure.
So when your OB/GYN tells you that your Pap results are “abnormal,” you freak out. Do you now have cervical cancer? Do you have to undergo treatment?
A Pap smear simply looks for unusual changes in the cells of the cervix, the opening to the uterus. We perform the test to determine which women need a closer evaluation of their cervix.
At Novel OBGYN in Coral Gables, Florida, our caring team encourages you to get regular Pap smears to keep tabs on your cervical health. Our expert OB/GYNs – Lorena Tinoco, MD, and Madelyn González, MD, FACOG – also want you to relax if your results are “abnormal.”
They present this brief guide to help you navigate the follow-up process after your abnormal Pap smear. Here’s what you need to do next.
First, the good news: Fewer than 1% of abnormal Pap smears represent cervical cancer. Nevertheless, abnormal changes may require further investigation.
Our team will discuss your results with you and explain what those results might mean. They could mean you have atypical cervical cells due to the presence of the human papillomavirus (HPV). They could also be age-related changes. If we believe HPV might influence the results, we may recommend another in-office test, including a follow-up Pap.
Colposcopy is a common follow-up test for non-age-related abnormal Pap smears. A colposcopy proceeds similarly to a Pap smear: Your OB/GYN uses a speculum to dilate the walls of your vagina, allowing them to examine your cervix better.
Then, they wash your cervix with an acetic acid solution. Your cervical cells react to the solution. Abnormal cells turn white. Your OB/GYN uses an instrument called a colposcope to examine your cervix in more detail than before. A colposcope is a magnifying device that looks like a pair of binoculars.
In addition to viewing the cells, your OB/GYN takes a cell sample for testing (i.e., a biopsy). You feel a quick pinch, but it shouldn’t be painful.
If your colposcopy shows no abnormal cells, you probably don’t need any further testing or treatment. However, we may monitor your cervical health with more frequent Pap smears.
If your biopsy shows cancerous or abnormal cells, your treatment depends on the degree of severity of the changes. You may simply need monitoring at regular intervals. Both low- and high-grade atypical cell changes often disappear within 24 months.
In other cases, especially with high-grade cell changes, we may need to remove all abnormal cells. Your OB/GYN may have been able to remove all of the abnormal cells during your colposcopy. However, in other situations, we may need to destroy the cells through freezing (cryotherapy) or heat (loop electrosurgical excision procedure or LEEP).
An abnormal Pap smear need not be a cause for alarm. But it is cause for action. Phone our caring staff today for a consultation or set up an appointment online.
