An abnormal Pap smear means some percentage of your cervix cells appear abnormal in shape or size. In most cases, an abnormal Pap smear does not indicate cancer and is in fact caused by HPV. If you ...

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 ...

During a Pap smear the most uncomfortable part will be when the doctor inserts a speculum into your vagina. However, the pain should be minimal and brief. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images A Pap smear is a ...

A Pap smear is a procedure that screens for cervical cancer by testing cells for any abnormalities. If your Pap results are abnormal that does not mean you have cancer, and more likely indicates HPV.

A pap smear, sometimes called a pap test, is a procedure that screens for cervical cancer — and is typically done during an annual well-woman visit with a gynecologist. In this article, we discuss how ...

Gynecologist Dr. Kim Alexander explains the benefits of HPV testing and midlife vaccination against the virus.

Many of us would choose the pain of a dentist’s chair over the most compassionate and sensitive gynecologist’s examination table. You endure a cold speculum — which is torture enough — then it does ...

A Pap test is an important preventative screening test for cervical cancer that’s performed on most 21- to 65-year-old women every few years. It’s fast and easy (albeit a bit uncomfortable) and it ...

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 ...

If you can’t remember when you had your last pap smear, there’s a chance you might be due for another. So how often should you get a pap smear, exactly? We asked Dr. Margo Harrison, MD, OBGYN and Head ...