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Pap test

Illustration showing Pap test

In a Pap test, your doctor uses a vaginal speculum to hold your vaginal walls apart. Next, a sample of cells from your cervix is collected using a small cone-shaped brush — or a cotton swab — and a tiny wooden spatula (1 and 2). Your doctor then smears the cells onto a glass slide (3) for examination under a microscope. A swab for chlamydia testing may be taken at the same time.
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