Alleviating that Pap smear fear
IT is something all women know they should do once they’re sexually active or once they get to their 21st birthday, but though they understand the reasons for doing it, many postpone it because of a genuine fear of the unknown.
Like 22-year-old Bethany, a lot of women understand the reasons for doing a Pap smear but fear doing it because of horror stories they’ve heard, the fear of being embarrassed, or of finding out something they would rather not know.
Bethany said she had seen her gynaecologist about treating a yeast infection when he asked when was her last Pap smear. When she told him she had never done one, he told her to come in when the infection was cleared.
“At that point a lot went through my mind. I wondered how much pain I’d endure, how long it would take, if I would bleed after. Basically anything negative and frightening crossed my mind,” Bethany said.
After the Pap smear was scheduled, Bethany decided to utilise ‘Google University’ to do research on what could go wrong. She admitted that this made her even more fearful.
“I saw testimonials from people saying it depends on the doctor doing it as some are rough, some are gentle. Other people said it felt like a pinch, others said you felt the scrape, others said it felt as if the doctor was digging a trench. I was horrified,” Bethany said.
But though she said she was shaking like a leaf when it came time to do the test, none of the horror stories turned out to be true.
“During the procedure we spoke about everyday stuff and chatted like nothing was happening. Then I heard him say, ‘OK, that’s it’,” Bethany said.
“I felt as if I could somersault right then and there, and I actually went back to his desk laughing. At the end of it all I realised I was only harming myself based on other people’s experiences that probably weren’t even true or just unfortunate.”
Once sexually active, a woman should do routine pap smears, or have them conducted yearly after her 21st birthday, to determine if there is a risk of developing cervical cancer.
Gynaecologist Dr Ryan Halsall said Pap smears don’t necessarily look for cancer, but are used to detect abnormal changes of the cervix before they turn to cancer.
A normal smear means there were no cancerous, pre-cancerous or other abnormal cells seen. On the other hand, an abnormal Pap could mean that the cervix is infected, inflamed or contains pre-cancerous lesions.
Abnormal smears should always be reviewed by your gynaecologist who will guide you in making an informed decision on further management.
— KH
