[Evieann]

My 20 year old daughter has had 2 abnormal pap smears. The doctor wants to give her a colposcopy.
I have read recently that most women under the age of 21 have abnormal pap smears and I am concerned to put her thru this when it may just be her age. We have an appt. for her in April, but was wondering how necessary this might be.

[ItsASecret]

Doctors do not usually advise a scope being put into someone unless there is a reason to. The way they operate is to try and catch something as early as possible if there is something to catch. They are following protocol so I would say it is a good idea to follow along with that procedure even though abnormal paps are very frequent.

[tesoro]

Often, recurring yeast infections can affect the outcome of a pap smear. It doesn't mean anything is wrong, it could just be that the doctor is taking precautions and wants to make sure it's nothing more.

[WildChild]

When I was in my teens and 20s, I had frequent abnormal paps. I was biopsied and poked and prodded and at one point in the teaching hospital was the subject of discussion by a teacher and 15 or 20 med students - while I'm on a table with all my girl stuff exposed for the world to see. (No wonder it's so hard to embarass me) There never was a thing actually wrong with me. I'm over 50 now and haven't had an abnormal pap in years.

There are abnormal paps and then there are ABNORMAL paps. Something as simple as having fairly vigorous sex within a few days of a pap, hitting the cervix with a good sized tampon, any number of things can result in an abnormal pap. Having a pap smear can cause an abnormal pap if a second one is taken. I get the feeling that some doctors, probably because of fear of malpractice suits, are more likely to order additional tests now than they once were.

Discuss with her doctor, what level is this abnormality? How likely is it that it could be something of concern? What would be the risk in waiting 3 months and having another pap smear done? Better to err on the side of caution but don't get too worked up about it.

[Evieann]

Thanks!!