A Pap smear is a test done by a doctor that checks for signs of cervical cancer. Getting a Pap smear is a normal process for a woman, but sometimes it can be terrifying if your doctor calls and tells you that the results of your Pap smear came back abnormal. A Pap smear allows the doctor to look at cells from your cervix, and when the results come back abnormal, that means that some of the cells showed abnormal changes.
Understanding the Results
When you are told your Pap smear results are abnormal, make sure you take the time to ask questions that may be on your mind. Request a copy of the lab report and ask the doctor to explain everything you don't understand.
Cervical cancer happens when these abnormal cells spread deeper into the cervix or other nearby organs. Understanding your results is very important in the treatment of your condition.
There are three categories of abnormal Pap smears. These are: ASCUS -Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance; LGSIL - Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions; and HGSIL - High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions.
An ASCUS Pap smear means that slightly abnormal cells were detected on the cervix. That means there were mild changes and while doctors are uncertain at this point what it might be from, it could be caused by HPV or another type of infection.
Dysplasia is the abnormal growth of cells and there are four types of dysplasia: mild, moderate, severe and carcinoma in situ, which are abnormal cells that have not spread and could likely form into cancer and spread to nearby areas.
LGSIL means that mild dysplasia was found, and that these changes could be caused by an HPV infection.
HGSIL can either mean moderate dysplasia or severe dysplasia, which indicates that the abnormal cells look very different from regular cells. These cells have a high likelihood of progressing to cancerous cells.
The doctor may order a colposcopy, a procedure that allows her to examine the cervix more closely. The doctor will take a look at your cervix with an instrument called a colposcope, which is similar to a microscope. The doctor may also remove a tiny piece of tissue from the cervix to send to a laboratory for analysis.
You may also want a second opinion, and you are free to take your results anywhere you choose. Just remember not to disregard the lab results and make sure you get a follow-up exam.
If the results show that you do indeed have cancerous cells in the cervix, your gynecologist may refer you to an oncologist.
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