Your age is also a factor. Your clinician can help you determine how often you should have a Pap test. The Pap test is very simple and quick. During your pelvic exam, your clinician will insert a device, called a speculum, into your vagina to open it and make it easier to see your cervix. You might feel the scraper or brush being wiped across your cervix, which sometimes causes a slight twinge.
Many women say that the uncomfortable part of the exam is due to the opening of the speculum.
You can make the exams less uncomfortable by breathing deeply and trying to relax the muscles at the opening of your vagina. The cells are placed on a glass slide. The sample then goes to a laboratory for examination. Doctors or specially trained technicians at the laboratory look at the sample under a microscope or by computer to see if the cells look normal. The laboratory will contact your doctor with the results of your Pap test.