Annual Examinations

Every Woman Matters

HIV/STD Testing and Treatment

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Annual Examinations

At Family Health Services all women are encouraged to have an annual Examination that includes the following:

• Pelvic exam with a Pap test
  
• Clinical breast exam
  
• Teaching of breast self exam
  
• Blood pressure check
  
• Height and Weight
  
• Hemoglobin
  
• All Necessary Education

While an annual exam is not painful, most women do not find the annual exam to be a pleasant experience. The annual exam however is very necessary to maintain your health. The pap smear, the most dreaded part of the exam, is the most successful test there is to prevent cervical cancer. Once the leading cause of death among women in the United States, cervical cancer deaths have steadily decreased over the past 50 years, thanks in large part to early detection as a result of the pap smear. Over one half of all cervical cancers cases occur in women who have never had a pap smear or who have not had a pap smear in the past 5 years. (Statistics from the Center for Disease Control)

All women should start having a routine pap smear within three years of their first sexual intercourse, or by their 21st birthday – whichever is sooner.

What to Expect:

The Pap test is done as part of a pelvic exam.  It is simple and takes less than one minute. During the exam, the health care provider:

• Uses a small brush or thin wooden scraper to take some cells from your cervix.
• Smears the cells onto a glass slide or places them in liquid.
  
• Sends the cells to a lab to be looked at under a microscope.
  
  What do the Results Mean?
  
  Most results are normal, which means that the cells are healthy.  Some tests come back abnormal meaning that some cells in your cervix have changed.  This will result in your needing to return for another pap test to investigate the reasons why it may be abnormal.

Preparing for the Pap Test

• Don't have sex, douche, or use vaginal cream, foam, gel, or deodorants for 48 hours before your test.
  
• Don't get a pap test during your period, or a few days after.  Wait until all the bleeding has stopped.
  
• If you have an infection or a sexually transmitted disease (STD), get it treated before you get a pap test.
  

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