Pap Smear
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| What is a Pap Smear? |
| The importance of having a regular pap smear (at least every 3 - 5 years) cannot be stressed enough. Cervical cancer is is the most common form of genital malignancy in Africa. It is mostly found in women between the ages of 25 and 45 and often presents with abnormal genital bleeding. A pap smear will pick up cellular abnormalities which could indicate malignancy. |
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| A doctor or nurse takes cells from the cervix, particularly the transformation zone and puts them on a glass slide that is sent to the cytology laboratory. Here cells are stained with a special stain called Papanicolaou or Pap stain. The slides are then examined by a technologist who has been trained to look for abnormal or "cancer" cells. |
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| All sexually active women should have Pap smear taken and repeated at least every 3 years. If you can afford to have one taken earlier and more frequently, this is advisable. |
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| At our Clinic |
| The professional nurse will explain the process, perform smear, fix it with a spray and send to the laboratory. The results are available within a few days. A Pap smear is not painful. You may feel a little pressure and there is a tiny amount of bleeding immediately afterwards. |
Please contact us if you require information about pricing. |
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