The purpose of a pelvic exam is to examine the vulva, vagina, and cervix for any signs of infection, disease, or abnormalities.
Speculums come in many sizes and can be used for any woman, whether a virgin or sexually active.
While the procedure may feel awkward and cause a small amount of pain, this can be greatly minimized by relaxing the pelvic muscles. Many exam rooms have a mobile or poster on the ceiling for patients to concentrate on and look at during the examination. This procedure involves inserting a long, Q-tip like swab through the speculum to obtain a sample of cells from the cervix. This is a painless procedure, as the swab has cotton on the end of it, just like a Q-tip, and the cervix has very few nerve cells. The Pap smear is used to determine if there are any abnormalities in the cervical cells that may be pre-cancerous or cancerous, or which may indicate some other type of infection.