Previously women were recommended that they should have their first PAP test when they reached their eighteenth birthday; and even earlier if they were sexually active before then. With the advent of sexual activity becoming more recreational than a sacred bond between husband and wife; and with so many women having multiple sex partners; and having sex with men who have had multiple sex partners, they are at increased risk of not only the Human Papilloma Virus which can cause cervical cancer; but STD’s (Sexually transmitted diseases) including HIV.
In the past women were recommended to have this test called a “PAP smear,” when they turned eighteen and then once a year every year thereafter. But newer guidelines indicated that they should now wait until they are 21 unless they are sexually active. Sexually active women should begin testing three years after first becoming active.
What is this test for? This test, while it can reveal other types of problems in women, it is primarily to test for and hopefully rule out cervical cancer.
This seems like an oxymoron in that the government is now pushing for all young girls ages 9 to 19 to have the Gardisil shot which has actually never been proven to prevent cervical cancer in the first place, and with reports of young otherwise healthy women having terrible consequences from this vaccine – including fainting, blood cloths, Guillian-Barre’Syndrome and even many deaths attributed to it. One of the researchers on this vaccine said it was never tested for girls at such a young age of 9 – 11 years old.
Gullain-Barre’ Syndrome: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000684.htm
Note: this site includes swine flu vaccine as possible cause of this disease.
The question is why treat young girls with a dangerous vaccine, Gardasil, at such an early age when they are likely not having sex - which is how you get the Human Papilloma Virus in the first place - and then advising women not to have the PAP which would detect early signs of cervical cancer until a later date.
The CDC web site explains in more detail the who, what, and when for the need for PAP test in women and their reasoning. One can only wonder who to believe this day and time. Why for years have they encouraged women to have these test yearly beginning at age 18 and now the sudden change – they rely on all sorts of hoodoo voodoo forecasting using computer models and make ups and find that since there are not huge numbers of women dying before 21 years for lack of such screening that all women should not have the test until then. Is this just another example to begin the rationing of health care?
One can only wonder who makes these decisions that affect the lives of so many women. Women should be able to make their own decisions in conjunction with her doctor’s advice. Will the changes in guidelines trickle down to non-coverage under insurance; especially government run health care? It is not like this is a free service and women don’t have to go through the process – they pay for the premiums and have to undergo the discomfort and embarrassment of having the test – but for no other reason than hoping to catch any cancer cells before it is too late.
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/basic_info/screening.htm
While your doctor is still your best confidante in determining your health care and treatments, the following is a list of what the CDC site covers.
When to Get Screened
How to Prepare for Your Pap Test
Pap Test Results
Below is a related site which deals with women who attend a STD Clinic or have a history of a STD. The Pap test should not be considered a screening test for STDs.
All women, regardless of sexual orientation (heterosexual women and those who identify themselves as lesbian or bisexual), should be considered for cervical cancer screening in an STD clinic setting. STD’s not successfully treated can be very harmful; and they are now saying that you should not rely on a PAP smear to determine or rule out STD’s. This site also gives additional information on preparing for your PAP test – what you should and should not do before having the test.
http://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/2006/cancer-screening.htm
This site will give you more insight into understanding just exactly what the test is, why it is used, and how to deal with the results.
http://www.drfeelgood.com.au/articles/tests/understanding_pap_smears.htm
Woman to Woman:
Many times we enjoy the discoveries and inventions of those who came before us and sometimes owe our very lives to them. Ever wonder what PAP stands for? Is it an acronym? Many thousands of women today owe their lives to a man named Papanicolaou who discovered the method of finding cancer cells in their early states by way of crytology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Nicolas_Papanicolaou
“In 1923, Papanikolaou told an incredulous audience of physicians about the technique of gathering cellular debris from the lining of the vaginal tract and smearing it on a glass slide for microscopic examination as a way to identify cervical cancer. That year he had undertaken a study of vaginal fluid in women, in hopes of observing cellular changes over the course of a menstrual cycle. In female guinea pigs, Papanicolaou had already noticed cell transformation and wanted to corroborate the phenomenon in human females. It happened that one of Papanicolaou's human subjects was suffering from uterine cancer.
Upon examination of a slide made from a smear of the patient's vaginal fluid, Papanicolaou discovered that abnormal cancer cells could be plainly observed under a microscope. "The first observation of cancer cells in the smear of the uterine cervix," he later wrote, "gave me one of the greatest thrills I ever experienced during my scientific career."
Thank you, Dr. George Papanicolaou for your tenacity and your hard work in discovering this valuable way of testing for cervical cancer – untold thousands of women owe their lives to you.
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