A pap smear (or pap test) is a screening for cervical cancer. It involves taking cells from the cervix and vagina and examining them under a microscope. The test is looking for cervical ...

Most people should continue getting Pap smears after menopause, as you may still be at risk for cervical cancer, which Pap tests can identify early. Some people may be able to stop Pap smears after ...

Although you can get a Pap smear during your menstrual period, some doctors may prefer you do not. A heavy flow may alter your exam results. If in doubt, it’s better to ask your OB-GYN, but try not to ...

A Pap smear involves a medical provider inserting a speculum into the vagina, then swabbing the cervix before sending the sample to a lab. Reporter Maybe you had a bad experience with your last Pap ...

A Pap smear or Pap test involves a doctor taking a small sample of cells from a person’s cervix using a brush or spatula-like instrument to look for changes in the cervix’s cells. Share on Pinterest ...

Many women get a Pap smear every few years during checkups at the gynecologist's office. Doctors do these tests to check for early signs of cancer of the cervix, the canal that connects your vagina to ...

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 ...

Do women need regularly scheduled pap smears after menopause? A Baltimore gynecologic oncologist explains why it's still so ...

Back in May of this year, the FDA approved a new method of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in a healthcare setting. Rather than a standard Pap smear performed with a speculum -- a test dreaded by ...

A Pap smear, or Pap test, is a procedure used to collect cells from a woman's cervix (lower part of the uterus) and test them for cervical cancer or precancerous changes. The cells are collected ...