People never want the word “abnormal” attached to their health in any way, so after your recent Pap smear came back with those findings, you’re understandably concerned.
The reality is that regular Pap tests are the best way to stay one step ahead of cervical cancer — and around 13,300 women in the United States will be diagnosed in 2025. But an abnormal Pap smear result is far from a cancer diagnosis and, in most cases, isn’t cause for concern.
To explain Pap smears in more detail, we turn to the women's health team at Kinwest OBGYN, including Dr. Jose F. De Leon. Here’s what we want you to know about Pap testing and findings.
The primary role of this routine test is to screen for cervical cancer. To do that, we check for abnormal changes in the cells in your cervix.
Abnormal cell changes are what precede the development of precancerous and cancerous cells, so you can understand that this screening is great for early detection. In fact, the rates of cervical cancer in the US have been cut in half since the 1970s due to Pap testing.
The most important takeaway is that the presence of abnormal cells on your cervix is very common. In many cases, these cells stem from a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and nearly everyone gets an HPV infection at some point in their lives.
Outside of an HPV infection, other reasons why there might be abnormal cells around your cervix include a yeast infection or a change in your hormones.
If this is your first abnormal Pap smear, don’t be alarmed. It just means that we should investigate further.
In most cases, we recommend follow-up testing that includes an HPV test.
Bear in mind that we make recommendations based on each person’s unique circumstances. For example, if you have a family history of reproductive cancers, such as a mother or aunt with cervical cancer, we’re going to be more aggressive about testing.
If you have no history of reproductive cancer in your family and you don’t have a history of abnormal Pap smear results, we generally take a wait-and-see approach and repeat the Pap test within 6-12 months.
If the follow-up Pap results are abnormal, and this is on top of several abnormal tests in a row, we may recommend a colposcopy. With this common procedure, we examine your cervix more closely and take a small tissue sample for a biopsy.
But let’s dial this back a little and emphasize that a first abnormal Pap test is very common and it’s certainly not time to hit any panic buttons.
If you have more questions about Pap smears and abnormal test results, we invite you to contact Kinwest OBGYN in Dallas or Irving, Texas, to schedule a consultation.
