What are paps for?

[LorienLlewellyn]

(Moved from another thread as it was getting off the original topic)

Quote:

I have a question. What is the point of a ob-gyn and these paps? Is it for looking out for infections or...? I mean, is it necessary for women?

Yes, paps are necessary for all women once they turn 18 or become sexually active, whichever happens first.

The main point of the pap is to look for abnormal cervical cells, which could indicate cervical cancer. Unlike other forms of cancer, cervical cancer is actually caused by a virus that can be sexually transmitted. So sexually active girls have a much higher chance of getting cervical cancer. The virus that can cause cervical cancer is not uncommon, and it often has no symptoms at all. Cervical cancer can be a serious threat to women, and most women noticed no signs or symptoms when their pap came back abnormal. So paps detect abnormal cells long before a woman would ever realize she had cancer. Early detection means more treatment options.

During the pap the ob-gyn will also look for other signs of infection such as swelling, redness, strange odors, etc. Most ob-gyns will also do a breast exam to look for lumps, which could indicate breast cancer. Some ob-gyns will also check for urinary tract infections and even diabetes by performing blood and urine tests.

Ob-gyn visits are also important for sexually active girls because ob-gyns are the only place that we can get hormonal birth control. Without visiting an ob-gyn all we can get are condoms and spermicide. The ob-gyn is also a great person to ask for more information.

In short, if a sexually active girl is not seeing an ob-gyn, she's not taking care of her body, and she's not having sex responsibly.  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Valgex

I see... I know people are not animals, but how come female animals, like dogs or cats and others don't need the same treatment then?

Even though we have a lot of things in common with other mammals, we have a lot of differences too. That means there are many diseases and conditions that one species can get but another species cannot.

Pets are supposed to get checkups at the vet, but their checkups are not going to be exactly like human checkups. Dogs and cats actually can get things like breast cancer, but they don't get it as often as we do. Most responsible pet owners spay or neuter their pets. Spaying pets actually decreases the chances that they'll get breast cancer, so we have to worry about breast cancer for ourselves more than for our pets.

We don't have to worry about cervical cancer in our pets like we do for ourselves either because they don't get the virus (human papillomavirus) that can cause cervical cancer. There are other STDs that pets can get, but spaying and neutering helps keep pets safe from those too. People who breed dogs and cats may have to take their pets to the vet more often than other people, and they have to watch out for any unusual symptoms. Just like with people, unusual symptoms would mean a trip to a doctor.  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Valgex

Makes sense. What about women in the past, when paps and ob-gyns were not around. They seemed to have been just fine without it. If your immune system is good enough, most diseases, cancer or whatever ,do you still need to worry about it?

Yes, even women with a strong immune system have to make their yearly visit to the ob-gyn. A good immune system won't save you from everything.

Women in the past didn't exactly do "just fine without it." After all, just a couple hundred years ago the average life expectancy was only 40, and many women died in childbirth. We have a lot of medical advances now that we didn't have back then, and it would be silly to not take advantage of them. There are even clinics that will give free or lost cost paps, so there is no reason not to be getting them.  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Valgex

Well, I know a Immune system doesn't protect you from everything, but it does protect from, viruses, diseases, cancers, infections.

Your immune system helps to protect you, but it's not a 100% guarantee. Your immune system just can't fight off everything all the time. If it could, people would be almost immortal. So even with an immune system that is usually strong, people can still get viruses, infections, diseases, cancer, etc.

Valgex

I'm sure they charged for these examinations, correct?

Do you mean the clinics? If so, no, they don't always charge. Paps are actually one of the easiest things to get for free or low cost. Paps are so important that clinics are set up to give them, and those clinics receive government funding. When I was in college I got my paps, the urine test, the blood test, and birth control all for free because I was a student. Price is determined on a sliding scale and all depends on just how much money the woman makes. Insurance also covers paps since it is considered necessary, not elective. So women with health insurance usually just have to pay whatever their copay is.  

[dark repository]

I got my first pap when I first visited my ob-gyn and there was no charge.
Every woman should be very aware and careful with her body!


Thanks for this info LorienLlewellyn 4laugh  

[Vickicat]

I've always heard the age was twenty one, not eighteen... One thing I've never understood about this, is why there's an age and not just once you start having sex. Because isn't HPV an STD? If you're a virgin, how would you get it?  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Quote:

I've always heard the age was twenty one, not eighteen... One thing I've never understood about this, is why there's an age and not just once you start having sex. Because isn't HPV an STD? If you're a virgin, how would you get it?

Some places do say 21, but 18 is more common.

Yes, HPV is transmitted sexually (well, the kind that we're talking about anyway; there are a few different strains of the virus), so someone with no sexual experience probably doesn't have the strain that can cause cervical cancer. But many people do have some sexual experience by the time they're 18, even if it isn't actual vaginal sex. HPV can be transmitted through oral sex or even rubbing your private bits on someone else's private bits.

Another reason ob-gyns recommend going by the time you're 18 is just to get used to going. It's easier to get in the habit of going every year the earlier you start. In fact, many people recommend taking kids to the ob-gyn as young as 13 years old. Not for a pap smear, but just to get used to going, meet the doctor, ask questions about their body, etc.

Also, ob-gyns don't just look for sexually transmitted things during the annual exam. They also look for urinary tract infections, signs of yeast infection, breast lumps, redness, swelling, ovarian cysts, diabetes, anemia, and more. Those are all issues that can happen regardless of age and sexual experience, but they can be more common for women of childbearing age.  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Ok, I have given you guys information on why you should get your paps every year without fail. Now I will tell you more about my personal experiences. I have been getting paps for years. They've always been free of charge, normal, and not painful.

But I had a pap about three weeks ago that felt different. It didn't hurt, but it was really uncomfortable. They told me I had a yeast infection and a cervical infection (both non-sexually transmitted). Family Planning gave me two different pills, both free of charge.

I got a call about two weeks after that saying my pap was abnormal.

I went back to Family Planning (about an hour drive away) yesterday. They told me that I have a bacterial infection (non-sexually transmitted) and gave me another pill. They also told me I have to go to another doctor with more advanced equipment to find out more about my abnormal pap. They say it will feel just like a normal pap, but it will take a lot longer. That appointment should be within the next month (They're going to call me next week to schedule it).

So there's a good real life example of why you need your paps. I had no symptoms of a cervical infection, but I had one. I had slight symptoms for the yeast infection/bacterial infection (I don't think I ever had a yeast infection. I believe the first doctor I saw diagnosed me incorrectly due to symptoms alone. The second doctor actually did a test to see if it was a yeast infection and found that it was not.). Those symptoms were so slight that they could have gone unnoticed. And I have no symptoms of cervical cancer, but I might have it.

When it comes to reproductive health, you can't wait until you have symptoms. A lot of this stuff doesn't come with symptoms. And go to the ob-gyn even if you're a virgin. I had two (possibly three) infections in my reproductive tract, all of which were not sexually transmitted. And don't you dare think "it won't happen to me." Most women will get at least one yeast infection in their life, and many women will also get some form of HPV (the virus that can cause cervical cancer). I've heard it's estimated that about 80-90% of people will get some form of HPV (there are lots of different kinds of HPV). That's not meant to sounds scary and discourage you from having sex. It's meant to let you know how common it is and that it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Cervical cancer certainly can be deadly, but the survival rate for women who get yearly paps is very high. The survival rate is considerably less for women who don't get regular paps. So paps might be uncomfortable, and it might be embarrassing, but we're literally talking about a life and death situation.  

[dark repository]

Wow, Thanks for sharing that with us! It's really a great example. I really hope everything gets better and ends up fine to you. 3nodding  

[LorienLlewellyn]

I'm going out of town tomorrow to have my biopsy done. I will be back on Saturday.  

[Nikolita]

LorienLlewellyn

I'm going out of town tomorrow to have my biopsy done. I will be back on Saturday.

Best of luck, I hope everything is ok. heart  

[LorienLlewellyn]

I went in for the appointment around 10am on Thursday. The lady at the desk gave me a number to call for financial aid as soon as I got home. I signed in, sat for about two minutes, then they called me in.

They had me pee in a cup, wait about two more minutes, then they had me undress for the exam. They said they might not even need to do a biopsy if they didn't see any signs of abnormality.

The exam was probably about 10-15 minutes long, just like they said it would be. I flipped through a magazine, but I wasn't able to relax and concentrate enough to read anything. The exam was uncomfortable, but it wasn't that extreme amount of discomfort that I was fearing, so that was a nice surprise.

My cervix did look abnormal enough that they did a biopsy, but they said they don't think it will come back cancerous. I didn't even feel it when they cut the piece of my cervix off.

They usually make people come in for their results, but I told them I'm an hour away, so they said they'd call me in one to two weeks with the results.

I was sore all the rest of the day, but not too bad. They also said I might bleed or have really weird discharge for up to a week. They gave me a maxi pad, but I haven't had much discharge at all.

I called the number when I got back to my mother's, and it sounds like they're going to cover the bill.

No sex or tampons for two weeks, which is fine with me. I feel fine, but I also wouldn't be surprised if sex hurt like a b***h right now, so I doubt I would have attempted it any time soon anyway.  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Ok, now I'm having that weird discharge that they told me about. xp  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Colposcopy: Kind of like a pap on steroids. That's the 10-15 minute exam that they do if you get an abnormal pap so they can determine whether your cells look abnormal enough for them to need to do a biopsy on.

Dysplasia: Abnormal cell growth

I got a letter in the mail today from the hospital where I had my biopsy done. It reads:

"Tried to call but have wrong phone #. Colposcopy results are negative for cancer. Shows only mild dysplasia of the cervix. Make appointment in 12 mos with Family Planning or primary physician for follow-up."