Women's Health

General Gynecology

Understanding the Pap Smear

How is a Pap Smear Performed?

You will be asked to lie on your back on the examination table with your buttocks at the edge of the table and your feet supported in stirrups. Your doctor will place a metal or plastic instrument called a speculum into your vagina to expand the walls so the cervix can be seen. (Insertion of the speculum may cause slight discomfort. You should let your doctor know if you are too uncomfortable.) Your doctor will then collect cells from around the opening of the cervix and its inner and outer surfaces using a cervical brush. The cells are then smeared onto a glass slide (hence the name Pap "smear") and preserved with a chemical solution to prevent them from drying and changing appearance.

After obtaining the Pap smear, your doctor will conduct a manual examination of your uterus. By placing the fingers of one hand on your abdomen and gently pushing the uterus up with two fingers placed within the vagina, your doctor will check for abnormalities.