A Doctor Explains What an Abnormal Pap Smear Is and What Can Be Done About It
8 years ago Isabell RoseWhen it comes to preventative exams, they can seem minuscule and unimportant, but they're a great opportunity to discuss topics like your period, reproductive health, and other preventative measures with your doctor. A pap smear is a common exam that screens for cervical cancer, and the results, especially when they're deemed abnormal, can come with a lot of confusion and questions.
To help you understand what an abnormal pap smear is and how you can prevent cervical cancer, POPSUGAR spoke with Alyssa Dweck, MD, a gynecologist in New York and author of The Complete A to Z For Your V: A Woman's Guide to Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Vagina. She first stressed that an annual preventive exam and a pap smear are two different things. While an annual preventive exam is great for your overall health, the purpose of getting a pap smear is to screen for cervix cancer (the opening of the uterus) and to "catch it so early that it never progresses to cancer," Dr. ..