Pap Smears
Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare
If you’re between the ages of 21-65, it’s best to safeguard your health by getting a Pap smear every three years. With a focus on women’s wellness, Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare offers preventive care like Pap smears, along with treatments that include a LEEP or cryotherapy if your Pap is abnormal. Call one of the locations in Fayetteville, Newnan, and Stockbridge, Georgia, today or book a consultation online.
Pap Smears Q & A
What is a Pap smear?
A Pap smear is a common screening procedure your Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare provider performs to look for signs of cervical cancer. A Pap smear involves collecting a sample of cervical cells for testing.
If you’re between the ages of 21-65, the providers at Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare typically suggest a Pap smear every three years. You may be tested for human papillomavirus (HPV) at the same time. HPV is an extremely common sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer.
What happens during a Pap smear?
Your Pap smear is quick. Your provider at Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare inserts a small, soft brush into your vagina to gather a sample. You dress and get back to your usual activities afterward.
Your cell sample is sent to a lab to test for precancerous or cancerous cells. If the results are abnormal, your provider contacts you to follow up.
What if my Pap smear is abnormal?
Try not to worry. Your Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare provider thoroughly explains your results, and the practice offers several courses of treatment if deemed necessary.
As your provider discusses your results, you may hear the following terms:
- Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS): Noncancerous cells
- Squamous intraepithelial lesion: Possibly precancerous cells
- Squamous cell cancer or adenocarcinoma cells: Possibly cancerous cells
Depending on your results, your provider talks with you about next steps. You may need an additional test, like a colposcopy, or treatment, such as a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) or cryotherapy.
What is a colposcopy?
A simple in-office procedure, a colposcopy involves the use of a special magnifying device. The device allows your provider to examine your cervix more clearly and take tissue samples for testing.
What is a LEEP?
During a LEEP, your provider inserts a thin, wire loop through your vagina, then turns on an electric current to remove a cone-shaped portion of abnormal cervical cells. A LEEP is performed as an outpatient procedure.
What is cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy is a treatment to freeze and destroy abnormal cells on your cervix. Your provider performs the procedure in Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare’s office using a special probe.
If it’s been a while since your last Pap test, you can rely on Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare for Pap smears and beyond. Call today or book a consultation online.
