A Pap smear (Pap test) is a routine part of your healthcare screening. They are often performed during your first prenatal visit. Research and professional organizations confirm that it is safe and an ...

The pap smear (or pap test) is one of the cornerstones of women's health. It was introduced in the 1940's as a way to screen for abnormal cervical cells. Starting at the age of 21 women are ...

Dr. Marie Savard explains the differences between a Pap smear and a DNA test. April 7, 2009— -- A DNA test that detects the human papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer, is more effective ...

More than half of pelvic examinations and almost three-quarters of Pap tests performed on young U.S. women from 2011 through 2017 were potentially unnecessary, a study published in JAMA Internal ...

A cervical smear is a test that uses cells collected with a small spatula or soft brush from the uterine cervix. It may be used to test for human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA (HPV testing) or ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: You recently discussed Pap smears. What is the root meaning of the term? Is it a medical test invented by a Dr. Pap, or an acronym for some long and complex medical term, or a smear ...

Instead of awkward and uncomfortable Pap smears, the new HPV self-collection tests let you collect your own sample for testing. That annual trip to the gyno probably isn’t something you look forward ...