My first pelvic exam and Pap test
Adapted from www.sexualityandu.ca
What is a pelvic exam?
A pelvic exam is an examination that your doctor or a nurse performs to make sure that your reproductive organs are healthy.
Here are a few reasons why a pelvic exam is a good idea:
- They make sure that your pelvic organs (uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries) are normal.
- They can detect infections that can cause vaginal discharge, pelvic pain or infertility. If you have one of these infections, a regular pelvic exam can help make sure that it’s detected early, so you can get treatment before any serious damage is done.
- Probably the best reason to get a pelvic exam is that it includes a “Pap” test that can detect early stages of some types of cancers. Spotting these early signs of cancer could even save your life.
Video of what happens during a pelvic exam
“Pelvic exam”, “Pap test” or “Pap Smear”?
During a Pap smear, the cells from the cervix are "smeared" onto a microscope slide using a q-tip.
You may have wondered before if there is a difference between a “pelvic exam”, a “Pap test” and a “Pap smear”. A “Pap test” and “Pap smear” are the same thing – they are a test that involves collecting cells from your cervix and then looking at them through a microscope to make sure they are normal and healthy. It is sometimes called a “smear” because the cells from the cervix are “smeared” onto a microscope slide. A pelvic exam is a little different – it refers to the entire exam of your reproductive organs, part of which is the collection of cells for the Pap test. Some people think that a Pap test is a screening test for all sexually transmitted diseases, this is not true.
