Why’s a Pap smear so important?
MANY women shy away from or fail to ever do their once-per-year recommended cervical cancer screening exam, simply because they do not think anything in their health has changed or because they do not feel sick.
But obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Anna-Kay Taylor-Christmas says failure to commit to your annual Pap smear examination could cause precancerous or cancerous cells on the cervix to go unnoticed, which if left untreated could develop into life-threatening illnesses.
“A Pap smear is a screening test to detect early abnormalities of the cervix (neck of the womb). It aims to prevent cancer of the cervix. A gentle scraping is taken of the cervix and the cells are examined under a microscope,” she said. “Depending on what is found, your gynaecologist could give you guidelines or explore treatment measures with you.”
She pointed out that in Jamaica there are a relatively high number of cervical cancer cases and as such doctors recommend that women go in to their health clinics or to their gynaecologists for screening every year so that they can always monitor or act on cancerous detections early.
“Gynaecologists in Jamaica advocate that women screen every year because of the high rates of cancer. [It is recommended] that screening begin at age 21 until age 65, but this may change if there is a history of abnormal results or risk factors for cancer,” Taylor-Christmas said.
She said that women should not neglect to go for their Pap smears because of the discomfort that they feel since the consequences of avoiding these examinations could be very painful and expensive.
“Although [the examination is] unpleasant, detecting and treating early is much cheaper, less painful and less physically and psychologically stressful than treating cancer.”
She said women should also consider human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines which could decrease the risk of cervical cancer, since HPV is a causative factor in the development of cancer cells around the cervix. This can be done alongside your Pap smear.
