Cancer ? - Cervical Smears -
Cancer - Cervical Smears - Women's Health
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 women's ailments? Read on for more information
about this common procedure.
Women's 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.
Women's 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, women's 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 won't detect all forms of cancer, all of the time.
Women's 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.
Women's 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 women's 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.
Women's 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 isn't painful, although it
may be a bit uncomfortable.
Health-Service-Online Admin Fritz Frei info@cancer-info.info
http://www.cancer-info.info