Usually, “positive” denotes good news. But with a Pap smear, you actually want “negative.” A positive test result means that your cervical cancer screening detected potentially problematic cells.

Here’s the good news. Cervical cancer is fairly slow-moving. That’s why most people only need to get a Pap every few years. If you take action after a Pap smear finds abnormal cells, you should be able to nip the problem in the bud. 

Medha Amin, MD, FACOG, Ramya Narayanan, MD, FACOG, and Shamita Bansore, MD, FACOG, don’t just offer well-women examinations and then leave you to manage the results on your own. Instead, if you have an abnormal Pap smear, we navigate the road ahead alongside you. 

For support after a Pap finds potentially problematic cells, visit our Midwest Women OB/GYN Ltd team in Downers Grove, Illinois.

What does an abnormal Pap smear mean?

When you have a Pap smear, it enables your gynecologist to check for the presence of abnormal cells. That makes a Pap effective at screening for cervical cancer (cancerous cells are abnormal). 

That said, an abnormal Pap doesn’t necessarily mean you have cancer. Instead, your test results may indicate that you have atypical cells from a yeast infection or uterine polyps. In fact, it’s fairly rare for an abnormal Pap result to mean that your provider found cancerous cells. 

While a positive/abnormal Pap result can mean several things at a cellular level, it definitely means one thing if you want to protect your health: You should get further testing.

Next steps after an abnormal Pap

If your latest cervical cancer screening revealed some unusual cell activity, the best course of action is to get a closer look at those cells. 

Usually, that means getting a colposcopy. This process is similar to getting a Pap smear, with small but strategic adjustments. Instead of taking a swab to get cell samples, your provider uses the colposcope to examine the cells on your cervix, vagina, and vulva. The colposcope is essentially a specialized microscope that provides a detailed view of what’s going on with your cells. 

Sometimes, we take a small biopsy during your colposcopy.

Then, we make a plan based on what we learn from that procedure. If we see low-grade cellular changes, we can typically take a wait-and-watch approach. That might mean getting more frequent Pap smears to make sure the cells don’t start growing more aggressively. 

For more notable cellular changes, we typically recommend the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), an in-office procedure used to remove problem cells, which takes about 30 minutes or less. 

The main thing you should know is that an abnormal Pap smear result indicates your cellular changes need further review. To discuss the best next steps with our team based on your specific results, call Midwest Women OB/GYN Ltd at 630-852-3762 or request an appointment online today.