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One of the first tests that a woman undergoes when going to a gynecological appointment is a Pap smearalso called Pap smear (PAP) test. The study allows early detection of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions.

Cytology is done to evaluate the cells of the cervix through an anatomopathological evaluation, explains the Pan American Health Organization on its website.

“The PAP allows to evaluate cells of the cervix to look for premalignant lesions and treat them in time to prevent them from becoming a cervical tumor”, describes the gynecologist and oncologist María Jesús Acuña from the Pan American Health Organization (OPS).

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What to do before a cytology?

Before performing a Pap smear, the obstetrician-gynecologist Humberto Bastardo indicated to the whistle the steps that the patient must follow. These are some:

• That your menstruation has ended 4-5 days before, that is, that you have no bleeding, not even brown. Sometimes a blood smear interferes with the pathologist’s interpretation.

• Do not use topical treatments before the test (ovules, spermicides or vaginal creams).

“If the patient has gynecological symptoms: abnormal discharge, pain with sexual intercourse, vulvar or vaginal itching, very strong odor, no shower or wash is recommended, because this alters the vaginal flora and can give false results,” argued the specialist.

Bastardo explained that if a patient has a cleaning or sweep before going to the gynecologist, then she is unintentionally hiding the characteristics of the discharge from the doctor. This prevents the gynecologist from having accurate information to make the diagnosis.

Procedure during the test by Papanicolaou

A cytology is a quick, simple, painless and effective process. It takes regarding 15 minutes. It must be done in a doctor’s office.

During the procedure, the patient must be in the gynecological position for the doctor to insert a speculum (instrument to open the vaginal walls) into the vagina. This allows you a better visualization of the cervix.

Using a spatula, the specialist must always extract three shots: from the inside of the neck, from the outside of the neck and from the bottom of the vagina. Then, these samples are taken to a laboratory to be evaluated and find out if there are lesions or not.

Through vaginal cytology results are also obtained on the possible existence of vaginal infections.

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When should I have a cytology?

Obstetrician-gynecologist Humberto Bastardo explained to the whistle that women should have a cytology done once a year, at least, but indicates that for greater prevention this examination is recommended every six months.

“The woman should start her controls once her sexual life begins. Cytology should be done at least once a year or every six months, to prevent HPV lesions, one of the causes of cervical cancer. I recommend my patients to do it every six months because in a year an HPV lesion can do a lot of damage”, indicated the specialist.

Regarding the age to end the controls, Bastardo clarifies that an age limit should not be set if the patient is still sexually active.

“When the woman is still having sexual relations, she must continue with her controls. Regarding the age limit, I don’t particularly put any, some recommend up to 65, but if the patient is still sexually active at that age, in my opinion, they should continue monitoring her, “argues the specialist.

What to do following the gynecological examination?

After a cytology, the patient can continue with her normal life, even having sexual intercourse hours later without inconvenience, as long as there is no diagnosis of infection or possible injury.

In the event that an infection or injury is found, treatment is indicated and you must rest (do not have sexual intercourse). It all depends on the diagnosis.

«An altered cytology is an alarm sign. One must treat, follow up. If the sample continues to be altered, a colposcopy (exploration of the cervix, vagina, and vulva using a colposcope) should be performed,” explained the obstetrician-gynecologist.

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