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Womens Health: Cervical
Smears
by Peter
Lenkefi
All women at some point in their life will have to have a
cervical smear as a part of a health checkup. But do you know exactly what a
cervical smear is, and how it can affect, diagnose or treat womens ailments?
Read on for more information about this common procedure.
Womens
Health: What is a Cervical Smear? A cervical smear is a test used on women to
tell if there are any changes in the health of the cervix. This is helpful to
diagnose the early stages of cancer.
The cervix is located at the end
of the uterus, and connects to the top of the vagina. There is a central canal
that connects the vagina to the inside of the uterus, and it measures
approximately 3cm square.
Womens Health: Why Have a Cervical Smear? The
main reason to have a cervical smear is to monitor the health of the cervix,
and to lower the number of women who contract cervical cancer. The smear is
targeted to detect early strains of potentially cancerous cells. If caught in
time, womens health may not suffer terribly, and the growth of the cancer may
not progress further. However, a cervical smear is just a screening process; it
wont detect all forms of cancer, all of the time.
Womens Health: Who
Needs a Cervical Smear? Women who are sexually active, or who are 18 or older
(whatever comes first) should take their health in their own hands and have
regular cervical smears until the age of 70. A regular smear would be every
three years for most women, depending on their health and the results of the
last smear. Also, women who are not healthy should have annual smears, such as
those with HIV. Women who have had a hysterectomy who have had abnormal pap
smears in the past should get themselves checked every year by a health
practitioner; there is still a risk of abnormal cell growth at the top of the
vaginal canal.
Womens Health: How is a Cervical Smear Done? A cervical
smear is only taken when women are in good health, and are not bleeding. Any
blood that appears during the testing can skew the results unnecessarily.
The procedure is performed with women on their backs, and their legs
held up in the air by a health practitioner or stirrups. A speculum is placed
inside the vagina, so that the health practitioner can view womens cervix
closely. Then a brush-like instrument is placed over the cervix, and cells are
wiped onto the brush, and then placed onto a glass slide for diagnosis.
Womens cervical smears can be done by a health practitioner, such as a
doctor or nurse. The procedure usually only takes a couple of minutes, at the
most, and isnt painful, although it may be a bit uncomfortable.
For more more information about womens health please visit
1health-center.com/articles/Healthy-Tips-to-Celebrate-National-Womens-Health-Week.php
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