Examining the reason behind frequent Pap-smear tests

Examining the reason behind frequent Pap-smear tests

"Good luck, fellas," the attractive receptionist called out to us with a knowing grin as we filed into the office of Dr. Mons, the gynecologist who was to be the preceptor to four, third-year male medical students.

"Now, boys," Mons began, "it is important to understand that gynecology is a very . . . well . . . it's a sensitive area. It is vital that you appreciate how a woman feels under these circumstances."

He then proceeded to ask the studliest of this group to hop up onto the examining table. I explained my knee was sore and so Brad said he would do it. He jumped onto the table and, with a smirk, slipped his heels into the stirrups. "Sorry, Brad, but that's not terribly realistic. Remove your pants."

A little shaken, he tentatively removed his drawers. "Now assume the position," Mons ordered.

After a bit of coaxing, he finally reset himself in the stirrups and, as instructed, lay back on the table, no longer chuckling. Then, in a move I'll not soon forget, this wise/abusive specialist taught us a lesson for the ages.

"Cheryl!" he announced into the speaker. "You can come in now."

As the door opened and the receptionist appeared, Brad strained several muscles, a few organs and the richest part of the "Hallelujah" chorus as he scrambled to find some protective modesty-preserver in the room.

He succeeded in partially wrapping several torn pieces of paper off the exam table around his torso. To this day, I have nothing but the highest respect for the procedure a woman has to go through in order to have a Pap smear.

In 1935, George Papanicolaou of Cornell University discovered that by taking a wee scraping from the cervix (opening to the womb), he was able to determine if pre-cancerous cells were brewing. Before Dr. Papanicolaou's developing of de test that women detest, cervical cancer killed more women than breast or lung cancer. Before the Pap smear, cervical cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in women.

Consider these facts:

1. In 1999, 14 women died of cervical cancer each day in the U.S. and Canada.

2. 85 per cent of them had not had routine Pap smears.

3. Every 21/2 minutes, a woman on this planet dies of cervical cancer.

4. Because of a lack of screening facilities, cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women in Third World countries.

5. 15,000 women in Canada and the U.S. will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year.

It is imperative that the Pap test, the most effective of all cancer screening tests, is not neglected.

Age 12 to 17 - There's no need to have the test before age 18 unless the girl is sexually active. If she's having sex, then her risk of contracting the HPV virus, that leads to cervical cancer, is high and she requires annual pap smears.

Age 18 to 50 - Annually. After three consecutive normal pap smears and assuming only one partner, the test can move to every two years.

Age 50 to 100 - Even though post-menopausal, the same criteria currently apply.

 Subscribe to Cervical Cancer News Information Links