When Mrs Okojie was told she had cancer, The 40 year old mother of 4 could feel her whole world crashing down, her Doctors assured and encouraged her, that they caught it early, but she never shaped their enthusiasm. Fast forward, A year later and after series of procedures and chemotherapy treatment, Mrs Okojie is cancer free. A major contributor to this victory was because she took the simple pap test and it caught it early .
Pap Smear
Cervical cancer screening is especially important for women's health. This is the Pap Smear. It is a procedure to test for Cervical Cancer in women. It involves collecting cells from your cervix. The Cervix is the lower narrow end of a female's Uterus that's at the top of the Vagina.
Detecting Cervical Cancer early with a pap smear gives you a greater chance at a cure. An interesting fact is that a pap smear can also detect changes in your cervical cells that suggest cancer may develop in the future. The test maybe done along with the test for Human papilloma Virus (HPV test).
Who should carry out this test? :-
This test should be performed by a licensed Medical Practitioner at a registered and functional medical facility.
When should you have a pap smear? :-
In general, doctors recommend beginning pap testing at age 24. They also recommend repeating pap testing every 3 years till 65.
Women aged 30 and above can consider pap testing every five years especially if the procedure is combined with testing for HPV.
When should you consider stopping Pap Smear? :-
- After a total hysterectomy (surgical removal of the entire uterus).
- Older age : Above 65 (If the previous results had always been negative)
Please always seek professional advice
Credit: Mary Ade, Nosa Osabhien and Collins Ulegbe
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