What Do Pap Smears Check for?

The purpose of a pap smear is to check the health of a woman's cervix. Women should begin getting a pap smear once a year either at the age of 18 or when they first begin to have sexual intercourse, whichever comes first. Although most women do not look forward to their yearly appointment with their OB/GYN for a pap smear, the procedure is critical to the detection and treatment of cervical cancer, which is not a life-threatening disease if caught in its early stages. The results of a pap smear can mean several different things as to the health of a woman's cervix.

Normal Cells

• When a pap smear is administered and the results are normal, this indicates that the cells are healthy and that there is no sign of cancer in the cervix at that point in time.

Inflammation

• When a pap smear is administered and the tested cells indicate inflammation of the cervix, this indicates the presence of an infection. Possible infections causing the inflammation may include a yeast infection or a number of different sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes or the human papillomavirus.

Abnormal Cells

• An administered pap smear may reveal abnormal cells, which may indicate the presence of precancerous tissue. Although abnormal cells do not indicate the presence of an actual cancer, these cells can grow into cancer and must be treated in order to avoid the development of actual cervical cancer cells. A doctor who discovers precancerous cells will likely call for further testing and exploration before suggesting a treatment plan.

Cancer Cells

• An administered pap smear can reveal the presence of cancer cells that have affected the cervix, but have not yet grown beyond the first layer of the cervix. These findings must be followed up with further testing, including perhaps a second pap smear as well as a more detailed look at the cervix by way of a procedure called a colposcopy. A doctor will then suggest a treatment plan to attack and destroy the cancerous cells before they spread to other parts of the body.

Advanced Cancer Cells

• An administered pap smear can reveal the presence of cancer cells which, when tested further, may prove to have grown beyond the cervix and represent an advanced case of the disease. Although a pap smear will not reveal the extent of the cancer on its own, it represents the first step in the process of detecting this type of cancer, and following the revelation of the condition through further detailed testing procedures, a doctor will prescribe a treatment plan appropriate to the location and extent of the cancer cell growth.