Abnormal Pap Smears Are Not So Abnormal

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All across the country, women over the age of 18 take an yearly pilgrimage to the office of their least disliked gynecologist for that wonderful ritual of womanhood: The Annual.

Oh, what fond memories. Not.

To the uninitiated, the Annual Exam (henceforth titled AE) consists of a general physical exam (heart rate, blood pressure, urine screen, sometimes blood work), a breast exam (that’s always an enjoyable bit of small talk), a pap smear (wince), and a pelvic exam (don’t talk, stare at ceiling).

It doesn’t matter that the American College of Physicians now only recommend a pelvic exam in symptomatic women, or that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists actually only recommend a pap smear every three to five years: we tend to do these things every year.

Most of the time we come out of these with normal results, but sometimes (a surprising ~15% of women) we come out with abnormal pap smear results.

My Story

This happened to me just over ten years ago. I was barely 18 and absolutely terrified. The official report was that there was no report. I had to sit in my doctor’s office (which reminded me of my high school principal’s office — I hadn’t yet sat in the dean’s office at my college) and listen to him rattle off information about my test, as well as my “options.”

waiting room
I was only 18 … was I really waiting to hear about my options??

Options. That word is reserved for you might die conversations, not an abnormal pap smear.

It was recommended that I undergo a cervical biopsy to confirm the pap results. The only other option was to redo the pap at my expense or to wait. I had just been cleared of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (angry ovaries) and suspected bicornate uterus (heart shaped uterus). To my unknowing, innocent self, all I heard was a lot of talk about not being able to have babies.

I had the biospy, leaked coffee grains for a week, and then was called back in to discuss my results.

I had pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. The only treatment available was cryosurgery. Cryosyrgery is the applied freezing of the cervix. With liquid nitrogen. They basically make ice on your cervix. Inside you.

And then you leak for weeks and you don’t even have a baby to show for it. But in my case, it fixed my issue. I’ve had normal paps ever since.

You Are Not Alone

The point of my sharing this story is that it is not that rare. Being as young as I was, I knew no one who had gone through this and I felt as if I were alone in it. As I’ve moved through the years since, I’ve come to discover that many, many women experience the exact same course of treatment as I did and they have lived to tell the tale.

Abnormal pap smears happen all of the time. Continue getting them as recommended, take a deep breath, and keep on moving on, Mama.

Have you had a similar experience with an abnormal pap smear? Share your story in comments!

Photo credit: Salinafix / Foter / CC BY-SA

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