The Essential Pap Smear
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Getting the Results
One in 10 pap smears will have some abnormality, so don't panic if you get a call from your doctor's office asking you to return (but do go!). Most of the time abnormal results are due to collection errors, changes associated with inflammation, or a low-grade lesion. There are basically four stages of cervical disease as reported by the Pap smear:
1. Healthy - although inflammation or infection may be present, no atypical cervical cells are noted. If you have inflammation or infection, your doctor may recommend treatment and then repeat the Pap smear in 3-6 months.
2. Low-grade disease - which can include "ASCUS", "atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance". If a Pap smear shows questionable or low-grade changes, your doctor may recommend repeating your Pap in three to six months. But if you've had a previous abnormal pap or a known sexually transmitted disease including HPV, s/he may recommend further testing, including in-office examination with a special magnifier called a colposcope. With the colposcope and a special dye, your doctor can perform one or more small cervical biopsies of the abnormal areas identified. This permits an accurate diagnosis and helps determine the extent of any pre-cancerous changes.
3. Hi-grade disease - severe dysplasia, or "carcinoma in situ", where abnormal cells are limited to the surface of the cervix. In this case, conservative treatment is usually effective.
4. Invasive cancer - where cellular abnormalities are found deep in the tissue of the cervix. In this case, hysterectomy is usually required.
The Pap smear is the most important screening test to detect early evidence of cervical cancer. It can also detect many other infections and cervical abnormalities. Have you had yours in the last year? Now is the time! 
