Why do you need to do a Pap test (cytological examination)?

1. What affects women's health?

Let's imagine that women's health is a ZD picture: it has "volume" on each side and consists of many factors. Our physical health is responsible for the full face, psychological health for the profile, mental health for the inner world, and many additional factors as accessories, without them it is simply boring.

Stress, lack of normal sleep, worrying about relatives or friends at war, changing diet, moving, working in an emergency mode - all this affects a woman's health from all sides. Our body suffers most of all, it reacts to absolutely all stimuli.

2. What diseases can occur without symptoms?

It is in the female body that insidious asymptomatic diseases can occur, such as precancerous diseases of the cervix, cancer of the mammary glands and cervix.

Also, various infectious diseases can be asymptomatic, again, against the background of stress, moving, etc.

3. What examinations and how often should a woman undergo in order to warn or diagnose them in time?

Mandatory research is a Pap test (cytological examination) - it is a screening for cervical cancer. You need to pass it once a year or more often, if there are additional indications. The second mandatory examination is an ultrasound of the mammary glands, which must be done in the first phase of the menstrual cycle (6-10 days after the start of menstruation). With the entry into the menopause period, it is necessary to undergo a mammogram every one and a half years. These simple examinations are cancer prevention for women.

Doctors at I.D.Clinic also advise to be systematically tested for STDs, especially if there were unprotected contacts with a new partner. After all, the asymptomatic course of infectious diseases also has a negative effect on the cervix.

4. What tests does the gynecologist prescribe during the examination?

At I.D.Clinic, tests are prescribed based on the patient's complaints or wishes and are prescribed individually during a visit to a gynecologist.

5. What tests can a woman pass on her own before visiting a doctor?

In the classic version, first there is a doctor's appointment, where the examination plan and the appointment of laboratory tests are determined. After all, only a doctor can determine the expediency of certain examinations.

6. Why does everyone emphasize the importance of screening for PCOS?

Unfortunately, in Ukraine, cervical cancer ranks 3rd in terms of mortality among cases of malignant neoplasms in women; on the European continent as a whole - only  7th.

All because of the lack of regular annual examinations by a gynecologist and neglect of one's health.

Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can be avoided. In the extreme case, it should be treated in the early stages without any special consequences for the woman. Here is an important point - it is worth contacting the doctor in time, that is, when the woman still feels completely healthy. After all, in the initial stages, cervical cancer is asymptomatic, it can be detected only with a complete gynecological examination.

7. What diagnostic tests for RSM do the doctors at I.D.Clinic recommend?

The time between the occurrence of a precancerous condition and the development of cervical cancer is quite long and provides great opportunities for screening, diagnosis and treatment of precancerous diseases, which make it possible to avoid their progression to cancer.

Almost all cases of cervical cancer (approximately 70%) are associated with infection with the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV). Therefore, screening for cervical cancer should include a Pap test, a PCR test for the presence of HPV, an examination of the microflora of the urogenital tract and, optionally, an examination for STDs.

8. What diagnostic methods are the gold standard?

Both selective and comprehensive cervical cancer screening packages are now on the research market. Based on complaints, anamnesis and clinical picture, doctors at I.D.Clinic can comprehensively examine a woman. But the gold standard is cytological examination and co-testing for HPV.

Liquid cytology Pap test  - is a combination of classical morphological methods with advanced sample preparation technologies. Liquid cytology provides the cytologist with a preparation of optimal quality, in which all important diagnostic information is preserved and from which any objects that can spoil the preparation, complicate its interpretation, and cause ambiguous interpretation are removed. In addition, liquid cytology is an excellent way not to lose a single cell of the selected sample.

Cobas HPV tests are automated qualitative in vitro tests for the determination of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in samples. The test makes it possible to differentiate a separate definition of HPV 16, HPV 18 and 12 other types of HPV of high oncogenic risk.

So, to be sure of your gynecological health, it is enough to visit a gynecologist and pass just a few tests.

Take care of your women's health with the medical center I.D.Clinic.

© Anastasia Yakushina
I.D.Clinic Medical Center
Obstetrician-gynecologist, reproductive specialist , ultrasound doctor