Your Pap smear results may come back "positive." This means that your test has identified that some of your cervical cells have changed. This is called dysplasia. Having some abnormality within the tissue of your cervix does not mean that you have cervical cancer. An abnormal Pap smear could occur due to HPV, sexual activity, pelvic inflammation, or infection. The good news about cervical cancer, if we can call it that, is that the condition tends to progress over several years. Your abnormal Pap won't simply discover abnormal cells, it will identify the type of abnormal cells that exist and a general measure of the abnormality. This information can then guide the next diagnostic steps.