A Pap test is an exam that can reveal whether you have cervical cancer. This article explains how it’s done and what your results can reveal about your health.

The test involves a cell sample being taken from the cervical wall. ... What do my Pap test results mean and how can my partner and I know if we are infected with HPV? Play.

You have no history of a precancerous Pap test result, no HIV infection, ... for example, if you are HIV positive (carry the virus that causes AIDS), or have a weakened immune system.

Figure 2. Triage of women with ASC-US Pap test results. *Management of pregnant women and non-pregnant women is the same. † For postmenopausal women, cytology may be repeated approximately 1 ...

For example, if your infection is bacterial, you will have to take an antibiotic, ... In fact, one study estimates that about 15 percent of all abnormal Pap test results are false positives.

If they come back unsatisfactory, it may mean you need to come back in for another Pap smear because the sample didn’t provide enough cells for the test. If the results are abnormal, don’t ...

After the positive HPV result, physicians can use the same tissue sample for a Pap smear and check for signs of cancer. The ...

Despite being disliked by many women, the patient experience of having a Pap smear with a speculum and stirrups has remained largely unchanged since the 1940s, when the test — named for its ...

An HPV test can also be performed alongside Pap tests in what's called a co-test. The combined test can detect high-risk HPV and cervical cell changes using the same sample.

While these HPV self-collection tests have several upsides, ob/gyns told MedPage Today that they don't completely replace the utility of the Pap test -- and the U.S. is still behind other ...