Women urged to go for a pap smear

Chatting to female friends about getting a pap smear may be a bit awkward but avoiding regular screenings can be detrimental to preventing cancer.

This is according to Director of Clinical Quality at Marie Stopes South Africa, Mantshi Teffo-Menziwa who says that South African women need to start talking about their sexual and reproductive health as well as work on debunking some of the myths about pap smears and other aspects of sexual health.

“The simple test takes less than 15 minutes at a hospital, clinic or your nearest local Marie Stopes centre.

“During this time, the doctor or nurse will be looking for changes in the cells of the cervix which can occur very slowly but can lead to serious problems like cervical cancer.

“In most cases, cervical cancer has no symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage,” says Menziwa.

She adds that pap smears are a safe and affordable way to screen for signs of cervical disease and pose no health risks.

“A doctor or nurse uses a small brush or spatula to remove a few cells from the cervix, which are sent to a laboratory to be tested and this will have no effect on a woman’s fertility

“Just because a woman’s screening may show abnormal cells doesn’t mean she requires a hysterectomy.

‘In almost all cases, abnormal cells that are detected early can be easily treated either by freezing or cutting out the pre-cancerous lesion on the cervix,” says Menziwa.

She adds that abnormal cells noticed during screening are closely observed or treated to prevent cancer before it develops.

“It is important to note that cervical cancer progresses faster in women who are HIV positive, so they must take particular care to receive even more regular screenings,”

“Next to breast cancer, cervical cancer is the most common cancer among South African women but regular pap smears have been proven to reduce the risk by up to 90 per cent.”