Your Pap Smear Was Abnormal: Now What?

September 14, 2023

Routine Pap smears (also known as Pap tests) are an important part of protecting your health because they can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early. But learning your results are abnormal can cause some anxiety, and you may find yourself wondering what comes next. Join Dr. Sarah Feldman, a gynecologic oncologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as she breaks down what abnormal results mean, what happens after, and why it’s important to follow up on an abnormal Pap smear. 

Key Takeaways:

• Most of the population is exposed to HPV, it is extremely common.
• Cervical cancer is preventable.
• It's important to follow up when you have an abnormal pap smear.
• HPV vaccine is not very effective after age 26.
• HPV is not necessarily an STI that requires sharing with intimate partners.