Hi,

I was wondering what a Pap smear is. I have no knowledge of what it might be.

Kimberly

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Dear Kimberly,

The Pap smear or Pap test is a little test that may be the most important development in women's health. It's a screening test for cancer of the cervix, and since its introduction there has been a dramatic decline in deaths from the disease.

In addition to detecting cancer and precancerous conditions such as Human Papilloma Virus or HPV, the Pap test may also show evidence of other vaginal infections, such as yeast, or Trichomonas.

The test is done by taking a scraping of the cells on the cervix and upper vaginal area. It is not painful, and takes about 5–10 seconds to do.

Good luck,

BeingGirl Experts