Next Steps After Abnormal Pap Test Results

As a woman, it’s important to keep your annual gynecological checkups. Pap tests and other screenings help keep your reproductive system healthy. 

Our board-certified nurse practitioners with Her Down There in Houston, Texas, provide well woman exams that keep you up-to-date on all recommended reproductive screenings. If you’ve recently had a Pap smear and we’ve called you to tell you that your Pap test revealed there are some abnormal cells in the cervix, you’ll need to come in for a follow-up appointment. You might have some pre-cancerous cells that can be easily treated. 

Why the Pap test is so important 

Cervical cancer was a common cause of death for American women through the first half of the 20th century. Thankfully, cervical cancer rates plummeted after the mid-1970s, when use of the Pap test, which screens for cervical cancer, became a normal part of a well woman gynecological exam. 

A Pap test can save your life. If you have early stage cervical cancer but it’s localized, meaning it hasn’t spread outside of your cervix or uterus, the 5 year survival rate is 91%. Compare that to a 19% survival rate if the cancer has spread to your organs or bones. 

You can see why scheduling and keeping regular well woman exams is so important to your health. Cervical Cancer Awareness Month,  which occurs every January, brings these statistics to the attention of the general public. 

Abnormal cells in the cervix aren’t always cancerous 

Your Pap smear detects abnormal cells in your cervix. This may or may not mean you have cancerous or precancerous cells. The abnormal cells could be the result of an infection, irritation of the tissue from sexual intercourse, benign growths like a polyp or cyst, or a hormonal change. 

When you have an abnormal Pap smear 

Having an abnormal Pap smear likely produces stress. However, we tell you to try to remain calm until further tests are done, because in most cases, we don’t find cancer.

HPV test and vaccine 

If your Pap test shows abnormal cells, we perform a test for HPV (human papillomavirus) if you haven’t already had one. HPV causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. 

If you’re 45 or younger and haven’t had the HPV vaccine, we recommend that you receive it. Since 2006, when the HPV vaccine became available in the US, cervical precancers that can lead to cervical cancer have dropped by 40% in women who received the vaccine. In teenage girls, HPV infections that could lead to cervical cancer have dropped by 88%. 

Colposcopy

If you ever have an abnormal Pap smear, we may perform a procedure called a colposcopy. This procedure is akin to a Pap smear, but our equipment includes a lens that magnifies the tissue in question. During the colposcopy, we perform a biopsy. We scrap a very small sample of tissue from the affected area and send it to a lab. 

We let you know the lab results as quickly as possible. We understand a procedure like this can cause anxiety. However, in most cases, a colposcopy finds low grade cervical changes that aren’t dangerous. You won’t need further treatment. Just be sure to make and keep regular future appointments. 

LEEP Procedure 

If there are moderate to high grade changes in your cervical cells, you may need a procedure called the Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP). This extracts the tissue with abnormal cells. 

We provide compassionate health care for women. Call Her Down There or book an appointment online today for expert well woman care. In addition to our Houston office, we conduct telemedicine through our Arlington, Texas, office.