Cervical cancer prevention: Regular Pap smears and potential treatment of abnormal cell changes. HSV: Antiviral medications like acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir can shorten outbreaks and ...

Pap smears are especially traumatic when providers fail to respond compassionately to patients’ pain. Bonnie Gross, who has vestibulodynia, remembers squirming on the table during her first pap ...

A new method to screen for cervical cancer that would allow women to skip the much-dreaded Pap smear has not yet gained universal acceptance and has instead created a debate over which screening ...

A Pap smear is a procedure that screens for signs of cervical cancer in women from ages 21 to 65. The test only lasts a few minutes and you should get results within a couple of days.

Pap smear results also tell us what subtype of HPV someone has, helping doctors determine if risk of cervical cancer is low ...

Getting a Pap smear isn’t among my favorite things to do, ranking somewhere between eating cauliflower (ugh) and going to the dentist (worse). I usually find the experience awkward, ...

A test for HPV detects precancerous changes of the cervix earlier and more accurately than the Pap smear, according to a large clinical trial published Tuesday. The randomized, controlled study ...

Bleeding after a Pap smear isn't unusual and shouldn’t be concerning. There are several common causes. We'll tell you about the typical causes, as well as the causes that are more serious.

A Pap smear shouldn’t be painful, but it might feel pretty uncomfortable due to the pressure from the speculum, Taraneh Shirazian, M.D., assistant professor, department of obstetrics and ...

If a pregnant woman has a Pap smear that comes back with abnormal results, the health care provider will recommend further testing options that are safe to perform during pregnancy, says Dr. Shepherd.

So who should get a pap smear? The guidelines from different groups agree that women should start getting the test when they turn 21, or three years after they start having sex, whichever comes first.