♥
Saturday, October 20, 2007
After much delay for weeks, I finally did the pap smear test for the first time.
Of course, it got to be done by a female doctor. Intially she looked so stern, so I was fearing that it will be painful. But when I stepped into the room, she was quite gentle and detailed.
She uses the equipment plus a small brush and scope some cervix. And thereafter, pressed hard against my womb with her hands, checking whether there is lump or pain.
Pap smear test accordingly to the doctor, done especially when a lady is sexually active or rather married. For first initally 3 years, once per year and thereafter, once every 3 years.
Some further explaination why married or unmarried ladies should go for it even if she is single:
Who should have a Pap Smear?Any woman who is sexually active or is at least 18 years old should have a Pap smear. Cervical cancer is most commonly caused by HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). This is a virus that is most commonly spread by sexual contact. It is thought to be the most prevalent STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) in the United States with about 85% of the adult population having had it. Once you get the HPV in your genital tract, it is difficult if not impossible to get rid of it. HPV is also the causative agent of Genital Warts. Some people with HPV infection will develop warts, some will develop precancerous and if ignored cancerous changes, some will develop both, and even a few will develop neither. These changes may occur relatively soon after infection or may not occur for many years.
When should you have a Pap Smear?
All women, who are sexually active or over 18 years of age, should have a Pap smear every year for at least 3 years. If all three of those are reported as "No Pathologic Change" (see area below for description of Pap Smear reports), then that woman can got to getting a Pap smear every 3-5 years. Even so that woman should still have a pelvic exam and routine normal health maintenance visits every year.
What is a Pap Smear?A Pap smear is a screening test for pre-cancerous changes of the uterine cervix. The preceding sentence contains two key concepts that are frequently misunderstood by laypersons and in quite a few instances physicians. I will start by addressing those concepts.
A Pap smear is looking for pre-cancerous changes of the uterine cervix. It is not designed to find cancer and it is not designed to find abnormalities of any other organs. (E.g. the ovaries or lungs) The cervix develops cancer in a slow prolonged manner; usually 10-20 years from the first changes until cancer develops. At any place along the way, something may happen to reverse the process and make things normal again. These changes are called dysplasia or sometimes Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia or even Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (different names for the same process).
When a Pap smear is obtained, the cervix is scraped with a wooden stick and a tiny brush. The stick and brush are then moved across a glass slide causing the cells to become attached to the slide. The slide is then chemically treated and sent to a cytology laboratory where it is first stained with special dyes and then examined through the microscope by a cytotechnologist. If no abnormal cells are seen, it is reported as normal. A random sampling of these "normal" slides are reviewed by a pathologist. If abnormal cells are seen, the slide is then looked at by a pathologist. The pathologist then assigns a diagnosis to the smear. Under the "Bethesda" system (the system currently in use in the U.S.) for pap smear reporting, there are several possible diagnoses he can make. They are:
1. No Pathologic Change. (Normal)
2. Inflammation. (Signs consistent with an infection)
3. Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASCUS)
Some squamous cells are present which aren't normal, but they may be due to inflammation [95-98%] or pre-malignant change[2-5%])
4. Atypical Glandular Cells of Undetermined Significance(AGCUS)
Some glandular cells are present which aren't normal but they may be due to
inflammation [80-85%] or pre-malignant change[1O-15%1)
5. Low Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LGSIL) (Some squamous cells are present which may come from an early pre-malignant lesion)
6. High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion(HGSIL) (Some squamous cells are present which may come from an advanced pre-malignant lesion)
7. Malignant cells are present. (Malignant squamous or glandular cells are present which may come from a cancer)
All of these, with the exception of numbers 1 and 2, require some kind of further evaluation. The kind of evaluation depends on which one it is.
******************************************************
I was so hungry after the test cause the wait was terribly long. Hesitating btw chicken rice at Maxwell or fish soup at Amoy, I opted for fish soup. And it's closed as well as the wanton store! But still, good food around, the lor mee @ 2nd floor is good.
And I walked to Club Street.. Saw this shophouse with countrystyle deco cum baby stuff, check out www.wildchild.com.sg and when I showed Hub. His respond,
"Wow, nice lor. But no need to say, your taste always very EX. one!" Hee, yah, simplicity worth a lot, all import from UK and US. ;P
♥
Saturday, October 20, 2007
After much delay for weeks, I finally did the pap smear test for the first time.
Of course, it got to be done by a female doctor. Intially she looked so stern, so I was fearing that it will be painful. But when I stepped into the room, she was quite gentle and detailed.
She uses the equipment plus a small brush and scope some cervix. And thereafter, pressed hard against my womb with her hands, checking whether there is lump or pain.
Pap smear test accordingly to the doctor, done especially when a lady is sexually active or rather married. For first initally 3 years, once per year and thereafter, once every 3 years.
Some further explaination why married or unmarried ladies should go for it even if she is single:
Who should have a Pap Smear?Any woman who is sexually active or is at least 18 years old should have a Pap smear. Cervical cancer is most commonly caused by HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). This is a virus that is most commonly spread by sexual contact. It is thought to be the most prevalent STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) in the United States with about 85% of the adult population having had it. Once you get the HPV in your genital tract, it is difficult if not impossible to get rid of it. HPV is also the causative agent of Genital Warts. Some people with HPV infection will develop warts, some will develop precancerous and if ignored cancerous changes, some will develop both, and even a few will develop neither. These changes may occur relatively soon after infection or may not occur for many years.
When should you have a Pap Smear?
All women, who are sexually active or over 18 years of age, should have a Pap smear every year for at least 3 years. If all three of those are reported as "No Pathologic Change" (see area below for description of Pap Smear reports), then that woman can got to getting a Pap smear every 3-5 years. Even so that woman should still have a pelvic exam and routine normal health maintenance visits every year.
What is a Pap Smear?A Pap smear is a screening test for pre-cancerous changes of the uterine cervix. The preceding sentence contains two key concepts that are frequently misunderstood by laypersons and in quite a few instances physicians. I will start by addressing those concepts.
A Pap smear is looking for pre-cancerous changes of the uterine cervix. It is not designed to find cancer and it is not designed to find abnormalities of any other organs. (E.g. the ovaries or lungs) The cervix develops cancer in a slow prolonged manner; usually 10-20 years from the first changes until cancer develops. At any place along the way, something may happen to reverse the process and make things normal again. These changes are called dysplasia or sometimes Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia or even Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (different names for the same process).
When a Pap smear is obtained, the cervix is scraped with a wooden stick and a tiny brush. The stick and brush are then moved across a glass slide causing the cells to become attached to the slide. The slide is then chemically treated and sent to a cytology laboratory where it is first stained with special dyes and then examined through the microscope by a cytotechnologist. If no abnormal cells are seen, it is reported as normal. A random sampling of these "normal" slides are reviewed by a pathologist. If abnormal cells are seen, the slide is then looked at by a pathologist. The pathologist then assigns a diagnosis to the smear. Under the "Bethesda" system (the system currently in use in the U.S.) for pap smear reporting, there are several possible diagnoses he can make. They are:
1. No Pathologic Change. (Normal)
2. Inflammation. (Signs consistent with an infection)
3. Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASCUS)
Some squamous cells are present which aren't normal, but they may be due to inflammation [95-98%] or pre-malignant change[2-5%])
4. Atypical Glandular Cells of Undetermined Significance(AGCUS)
Some glandular cells are present which aren't normal but they may be due to
inflammation [80-85%] or pre-malignant change[1O-15%1)
5. Low Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LGSIL) (Some squamous cells are present which may come from an early pre-malignant lesion)
6. High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion(HGSIL) (Some squamous cells are present which may come from an advanced pre-malignant lesion)
7. Malignant cells are present. (Malignant squamous or glandular cells are present which may come from a cancer)
All of these, with the exception of numbers 1 and 2, require some kind of further evaluation. The kind of evaluation depends on which one it is.
******************************************************
I was so hungry after the test cause the wait was terribly long. Hesitating btw chicken rice at Maxwell or fish soup at Amoy, I opted for fish soup. And it's closed as well as the wanton store! But still, good food around, the lor mee @ 2nd floor is good.
And I walked to Club Street.. Saw this shophouse with countrystyle deco cum baby stuff, check out www.wildchild.com.sg and when I showed Hub. His respond,
"Wow, nice lor. But no need to say, your taste always very EX. one!" Hee, yah, simplicity worth a lot, all import from UK and US. ;P
