You may have heard of the term “pap smear”. Now, you may or may not be familiar with it. A pap smear is a blood smear that is done to detect the presence of cervical cancer. In fact, it’s probably the most important thing you do before a surgery. The pap is the most common cancer in women.
In the case of cervical cancer there are a couple of things you should know about. The pap smear will tell you if you have it, which means you can protect yourself from getting it by having regular Pap smears. It should also tell you what type of cancer you have. If you have a cancerous cervix, you need to get a colposcopy so you can determine if you need a biopsy or not.
So if you have a cancerous cervix you should get a colposcopy before a hysterectomy. Unfortunately however, the risks of biopsies and colposcopies are different. Generally, colposcopies aren’t necessary for invasive cancers, which is why there are more cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in women who have a Pap smear negative than of invasive cancers. You can get a colposcopy at any doctor’s office.
I know the reason you don’t need a biopsy for a cervical cancer is because the majority of cancers are not invasive. However, the majority of cancers in women can be invasive, and you should definitely get a colposcopy before a hysterectomy.
After looking at pictures of my daughter, I know you have to do a Pap smear before you do a hysterectomy. But, while you are considering this, you should also consider the possibility that you are doing it after doing a hysterectomy.
Colposcopes actually take about three to five minutes and are very painful, so it’s important that you do them as soon as possible after you have your hysterectomy.
I’ve had a few people tell me they have had an invasive cancer and that they have also had a hysterectomy and a Pap test. The good news is that the Pap test is so quick and painless that you can do it without worrying about it being invasive or painful. But the bad news is that you need to wait at least five days after the hysterectomy before you can do the Pap test.
I had my first hysterectomy at age 26. I went to the doctor and the doctor said it was benign. I took the risk and had it done. It was a long day, but I did have to wait a week before I could have a Pap test. I was so relieved. The Pap test is painless, it doesn’t hurt, and it is quick.
That five days is a good deal of time, but this means that you can be taking the Pap test all alone. That may sound ridiculous, but I once found a friend who was having a pap smear and didn’t want to go alone to have it done. He ended up leaving the clinic with his Pap test done, but he came home with a smear on his butt.
I remember sitting in a waiting room with my husband and sister and waiting while a Doctor took my blood to find a possible abnormality. I was shocked at how normal the blood looked. Then the Doctor took my blood to make sure that it was a healthy Pap. Once they had my blood on file, they said that I had a “normal” Pap. I was so relieved! I was like, “Nope, you have a normal Pap.