These are two photos taken during a Papanicolau test (pap smear) done on a 25 year old woman 6 weeks postpartum. A pap smear can detect potentially pre-cancerous changes (called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or cervical dysplasia), which are usually caused by sexually transmitted human papillomaviruses (HPVs). The test may also detect infections and abnormalities in the endocervix and endometrium.
In the top photo, you can see the metal speculum used to open this woman’s vagina and the wooden Aylesbury spatula used to collect a sample of the cells from the endocervix. The spatula gently scrapes the area around the os in a circular motion to gather cells.
The bottom photo is of an endocervical brush being swiped in the os of the cervix. The cells gathered on the brush and spatula will be wiped/smeared on a glass slide and examined in a laboratory or under a microscope to look for abnormalities.
Wow. Looking at these pictures, it seems like it is painful but I never feel a thing other than the speculum going in. I always wondered what it actually looked like and this is just the bee’s knees.
Comment by Alishia — June 14, 2010 @ 2:29 am
I think you ought to change pictures of sampling with aylesbury spatula as this is no longer used in liquid based cytology
Comment by hazel randall — June 17, 2010 @ 2:35 am
Where I love they still use both sampling techniques, actually they have another two.
Theres a swab like a large tongue depressor, a swab like a q-tip and these two.
Every pap, I have felt all of them, and its excessively painful. I find female dr. s are much rougher as with the female twice she caused pain, and the man twice cause very little to practically none.
Comment by Kaida — July 3, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
I always wondering what my cervix looked like and now I know. I agree with kaida female doctors do make a pap painful!! My obgyn is currently a male doctor who is really wonderful and I never feel pain from begginning to end during a simple pap smear!! big diff!!
Comment by maureen roche — July 10, 2010 @ 8:03 am
Hi, Kaida-
Some women don’t experience pain during these procedures. Also, your statement regarding doctors is sexist- surely not ALL female doctors are rougher. That has just been your experience. I know many gentle female practitioners including doctors and midwives.
Comment by happy commenter — July 11, 2010 @ 6:35 pm
I have the opposite experience of docs – will always go to a female doctor if I have the chance! I’ve had much more painful pap smears with male doctors, but I agree it’s not possible to generalize. I think it’s up to each individual to find a doctor who seems sensitive and whom they can trust.
Comment by Another — July 22, 2010 @ 7:09 am
I read somewhere that a woman asked her male doctor why he seemed to be gentle with pap smears. He said something along the lines of “Well, if you punch me in the nuts, you know it would hurt, but you don’t know the type/amount of pain that I would experience. It’s the same thing with pap smears. I know it’s not comfortable, but I can’t experience it, so I just try to be as gentle as possible.”
My female gynecologist is extremely gentle. I don’t experience “pain”, just discomfort. I like to believe she is as gentle as possible, especially knowing that she’s a woman and has had to experience the same procedure, too. It is very unfair to generalize; doctors should be treated as individuals, just like they should treat their patients.
Comment by VMB — August 1, 2010 @ 11:17 pm
this is so awesome
Comment by Antoneal — August 16, 2010 @ 1:14 pm