Pregnancy can be a gruesome affair and abnormal pap smears common during pregnancy. This can be a distressing situation on all counts. So what is a Pap test? It happens to be a screening tool advocated by health care service providers to detect any abnormalities in cervical cell along with the incidence of cervical cancer. During this test, the health care service provider goes on to take a sample of the surface cells on the cervix, and this is with the help of a small brush that is used for cell collection. The cell is then handed over to a specialized lab for evaluation and then the results will be in front of you.
Cervical cancer is considered to be one of the leading causes of death in the United States. But ever since the abnormal Pap test has emerged there has been a reduction in the number of deaths which has come down to as low as 50 %. But the projection is for the numbers to rise in the days to come, so the need of the hour is routine tests on a regular basis. When there is regular screening with pap tests, the chances of reduction of cervical cancer reduces where cellular changes are found earlier and steps taken for the treatment of them.
One of the common causes of cervical cancer happens to be human Pappiomarvirus referred to as HPV. It is important to consider the point that a few cases of HPV will slowly and steadily progress to cervical cancer, as they are found by Pap testing. The precancerous cervical changes caused by HPV are diagnosed earlier and it is easy to treat the cervical cancer.
The results of this test can range from mild to a few, and this means irregular mild cells to abnormal cell changes. In case of abnormal cervical changes it will not proceed, because you are pregnant and the HPV will have no bearing on the outcome of your pregnancy. As the pregnancy is bound to increase the flow of blood to the cervix after the first trimester, the chances of bleeding increases all the more. But you need to take note of the fact that the biopsy itself is safe and will not go on to because any form of pregnancy complications. In some cases where suspicious changes in cellular changes occurs, a cone biopsy may be asked to check out whether there is any form of cancer or not. Abnormal Pap smear during early pregnancy cannot be ruled out as well,
The most cause of concern with regards to Pap test during the course of pregnancy is cervical cancer. The diagnosis of this form of cancer during the stages of pregnancy is pretty rare, and if it is found during the stage of pregnancy, the treatment will a lot depend upon the stage in which it is found and this can compromise your pregnancy and spread to other parts of the body as well.