DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've had several abnormal Pap smears, and I'm worried about getting cervical cancer. How often should I be getting a Pap smear? Are there things I can do to prevent cervical cancer?

It is possible to have an abnormal smear but a normal colposcopy result. This can happen when someone has a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection but no precancerous mutations in the cervix. Cervical ...

Maybe you had a bad experience with your last Pap smear and you’re wary of going back to the ob-gyn. Or maybe you’ve never had one before and are scared to make the appointment. It’s understandable to ...

World Cancer Day, observed every year on February 4, serves as a reminder of the importance of cancer awareness, early ...

The pap smear (or pap test) is one of the cornerstones of women's health. It was introduced in the 1940's as a way to screen for abnormal cervical cells. Starting at the age of 21 women are ...

SHREVEPORT, La. - It's one of the most common questions OB-GYNs get, do you still need pap smears after a hysterectomy? The answer depends on why you had the surgery. Pap smears screen for cervical ...

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has drafted a new recommendation for cervical cancer screening. The biggest change: Women ages 30 to 65 should get an HPV test every five years instead of a ...

When Noa Fleischacker had her first pap smear, she was struck by an unbearable, knife-like pain as soon as the speculum went in. “I literally was going to jump off the table,” Fleischacker recalled.

Some 17,500 women in Northern Ireland will have their Pap smears re-checked after a highly critical report found serious failures over 13 years at a testing laboratory. Some women will need to come in ...

I was not expecting to receive my pap smear test letter before I turned 25, so when mine fell through the letterbox in mid-March — exactly six months before my 25th birthday — I felt a little bit sick ...