A pregnancy is such a phase in a women’s life where she is not much bothered about herself. She does everything keeping her child in mind. Her diet, her food habits, and her sleeping positions everything changes for the baby.
So it is very natural for a pregnant lady to get worried if any health risk comes during that period. Because her major concern will always be her unborn child. Be it a small fever or an allergic reaction, a mother always wants to keep her child safe.
In such an overwhelming phase, the risk of cervical cancer could be a huge blow. But ladies, please do not panic and go for a pap smear. Continue reading the article to understand more about it.
A pap smear, also commonly known as a pap test, is a screening procedure for cervical cancer. It tests for the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells on the cervix. The cervix is the opening to the uterus. The procedure basically works as the cells from the cervix are scraped away carefully and gently and then tested for abnormal growth.
Now we all know that cervical cancer is a serious issue and hence the pap smear test ahs to be taken seriously by all women. And this is the reason why women after the age of 21 are encouraged to get these tests done every once in 3 years.
As a layman one doesn’t know much about the terms that the doctors are familiar with. So then what does an abnormal pap smear while pregnant mean? An abnormal pap smear may indicate that one might have an infection or abnormal cells called dysplasia.
It is normal to get worried or alarmed after getting an abnormal pap result but one must remember that abnormal Pap smear results do not mean that you have cancer. This just means that further test is definitely required to verify whether or not there is a problem.
So if not cancer, then what else?
An abnormal pap smear may indicate any of the following conditions:
A colposcopy is an examination in which a speculum is inserted into the vagina and the cervix is painted with a vinegar solution which makes any abnormal areas stand out. After any abnormal area is located, a sample (biopsy) of the area is taken for an accurate diagnosis by a pathologist.
However, any further treatment generally gets delayed until the birth of the child. Frequently, the birth of your baby will wash away any abnormal cervical cells. Having an abnormal Pap smear result does not put your child at risk though.
So it is very natural for a pregnant lady to get worried if any health risk comes during that period. Because her major concern will always be her unborn child. Be it a small fever or an allergic reaction, a mother always wants to keep her child safe.
A pap smear, also commonly known as a pap test, is a screening procedure for cervical cancer. It tests for the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells on the cervix. The cervix is the opening to the uterus. The procedure basically works as the cells from the cervix are scraped away carefully and gently and then tested for abnormal growth.
Now we all know that cervical cancer is a serious issue and hence the pap smear test ahs to be taken seriously by all women. And this is the reason why women after the age of 21 are encouraged to get these tests done every once in 3 years.
As a layman one doesn’t know much about the terms that the doctors are familiar with. So then what does an abnormal pap smear while pregnant mean? An abnormal pap smear may indicate that one might have an infection or abnormal cells called dysplasia.
It is normal to get worried or alarmed after getting an abnormal pap result but one must remember that abnormal Pap smear results do not mean that you have cancer. This just means that further test is definitely required to verify whether or not there is a problem.
So if not cancer, then what else?
An abnormal pap smear may indicate any of the following conditions:
- Infection or inflammation
- Herpes
- Recent sexual activity
- HPV (human papilloma virus)
- Dysplasia
A colposcopy is an examination in which a speculum is inserted into the vagina and the cervix is painted with a vinegar solution which makes any abnormal areas stand out. After any abnormal area is located, a sample (biopsy) of the area is taken for an accurate diagnosis by a pathologist.
However, any further treatment generally gets delayed until the birth of the child. Frequently, the birth of your baby will wash away any abnormal cervical cells. Having an abnormal Pap smear result does not put your child at risk though.
