During a Pap smear the most uncomfortable part will be when the doctor inserts a speculum into your vagina. However, the pain should be minimal and brief. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images A Pap smear is a ...

If a person receives a positive human papillomavirus (HPV) result from a Pap smear, they need a colposcopy to confirm the diagnosis. This is a minimally invasive procedure that healthcare ...

I’m reluctant to have a smear test because since the menopause it has become uncomfortable, leaving me sore for a few days afterwards. I’ve just had another invitation for screening and keep putting ...

Dr. Carla Picardo wants to clear up the confusion about pap smears. A pap smear is a routine procedure to test for cervical cancer in women. Cells are collected from a woman's cervix — the lower, ...

So you're about to turn 25, and the letter's landed on your doormat: it's time for your first ever smear test. Or, alternatively, you've long bid farewell to 25, and you've just been putting off the ...

The number of women having cervical screenings has reached a 20-year low, with one in four failing to attend their appointment. But with two women dying every day from cervical cancer in the UK - and ...

Despite living in an era with a major focus on health and wellbeing, the number of women attending their smear tests is at its lowest rate in almost two decades. The potentially lifesaving screening ...

You may have heard about HPV testing and self-swabbing to collect the sample. Does that work as well? Here are the ins and ...

Our choice of language matters – not least when talking about sensitive health issues – and arguably the term 'smear test' is outdated, off-putting and doesn't convey the ease and typically pain-free ...

I had smear-test anxiety long before I got my first invitation letter from my GP asking me to come in for my first cervical screening. And when it arrived, just after my 25th birthday, I still ...

A Pap smear is a procedure that screens for cervical cancer by testing cells for any abnormalities. If your Pap results are abnormal that does not mean you have cancer, and more likely indicates HPV.