When they said not to wait for your first pap smear, they were not kidding. I got my first pap smear at 23, two years later than I should have. A month later, I learned my test result was abnormal.

A pap smear is a test where a doctor, typically a gynecologist — in some cases a primary doctor — tests cells from the cervix to check for abnormalities. 

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends people with cervixes have their first pap smear at age 21. 

The nurse said when abnormal results happen, it is a sign of the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV, which is the No. 1 cause of cervix cancer. They did a test for this and I do not have it. 

Now I’m due for another pap smear in a year, when normally I would have been due in three years. 

I’ve been told by many that it can be painful but it depends on the person. From my experience it was not painful, just uncomfortable. 

The National Cancer Institute says there are three possible results for a pap smear: 

1. Normal, which indicates no abnormal cells have been found. This is more commonly referred to as a negative test result. 
2. Unsatisfactory, which indicates that the test was inconclusive and typically results in a follow-up test within the next couple of months. 
3. Abnormal, which indicates that there are abnormal cells mixed with normal cells. 

An abnormal test result does not automatically mean that one has cancer or HPV. For example, one could have a yeast infection, which could result in an abnormal test. 

Since the nurse called me, I have been keeping track of my health more frequently. When I was about 10 years old, my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 endometrial stromal sarcoma. Medical News Today describes it as “a rare form of uterine cancer that begins in the connective tissue of the uterus.”

Despite regular checkups, they found her cancer late. It did spread past her uterus, but not past her ovaries. 

She is OK now, but had to have her ovaries removed, which made her go through menopause early. People usually enter menopause in their early 50s. She was in her mid-40s. 

I felt nervous telling my mom about the test result. The nurse had called me while I was at the grocery store with my grandpa. I wasn’t too anxious about the result itself, but when I told her later she almost cried. 

She freaked out and told me to call the doctor right away and reschedule my appointment in the next few weeks. 

Penn Medicine did a study to determine whether uterine cancer can be genetic. They found that while the cancer cannot be inherited, genetic changes can be passed down and increase the risk of cancer. 

My grandmother on my mom’s side had breast cancer twice. Cancer runs in my family, so I think often about my own risk. 

The earlier they find anything, the better the odds that one survives, which is why it is so important to get a pap smear as soon as one can, especially if you have factors that put you at higher risk. 

I called the nurse back the next day and asked about the results. I wanted to confirm and make sure they were abnormal, which she confirmed they were. 

She said that it was nothing to be worried about for now. I would get a follow-up test in a year and create a plan from there. I could possibly get a few more exams like a biopsy but that will be more in the future. 

My sister is six years older than I am and has been getting them for many years and has had no problems so far. Maybe I don’t have to worry as much as I am, but I won’t know for sure until my next scheduled pap smear.  

Digital Editor Peyton Cook can be reached at [email protected], or on Instagram at @cookmeavisual

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