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By Mayo Clinic staffTo ensure that your Pap smear is most effective, follow these tips prior to your test:
- Avoid intercourse, douching or using any vaginal medicines or spermicidal foams, creams or jellies for two days before having a Pap smear, as these may wash away or obscure abnormal cells.
- Try not to schedule a Pap smear during your menstrual period. Although the test can be done, it's best to avoid this time of your cycle, if possible.
References
- The Pap test. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/For_Patients. Accessed May 22, 2012.
- Pap test. WomensHealth.gov. http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/pap-test.cfm. Accessed May 22, 2012.
- Cervical cytology screening. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2009;114:1409.
- Saslow D, et al. American Cancer Society, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and American Society for Clinical Pathology screening guidelines for prevention and early detection of cervical cancer. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2012;62:147.
- Screening for cervical cancer. Rockville, Md.: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf11/cervcancer/cervcancerrs.htm. Accessed May 22, 2012.
- Preventive services for adults. Bloomington, Minn.: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. http://www.icsi.org/guidelines_and_more/gl_os_prot/preventive_health_maintenance/preventive_services_for_adults/preventive_services_for_adults__11.html. Accessed May 22, 2012.
- Cervical cancer screening. Fort Washington, Pa.: National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/f_guidelines.asp. Accessed May 22, 2012.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Practice Bulletins — Gynecology. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 131: Screening for Cervical Cancer. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2012;120:1222.
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