pap smear?

okay i have an off the wall question.. will i have to have a yearly pap even if i dont have a cervix or uterus or ovaries or tubes ??? i had one a few weeks before my surgery and am wondering if ill have to schedule one for next year..

Yes, you will need to continue with the PAPs. You can still get vaginal cancer. That is what I had and ende up with a total pelvic exenteration, I now have a colostomy, urostomy and will get a new vagina next week. Those cells that effect the cervix also effect the vagina and can cause cancer. So don't forget the PAP, I think a few moments of discomfort is worth it. I don't fit the stats for this cancer. It is more commonly found in elderly women and women who have had hysterctomies (might be because many believe they don't need a PAP anymore and the cells develop into cancer)

It's not an off the wall question at all... it's a very good question.

Officially, the ACOG changed its guidelines recently and now says that women who have had a hysterectomy for benign conditions *may* discontinue pap smears, though external genital examination should still be done annually. They decided that because the USPSTF (US Preventive Services Task Force) did a study which determined that statistically, the risk of harm due to the exam exceeds the potential benefit for women who have had a hysterectomy.

My problem with that is in considering "statistical" data. What it doesn't account for is that some (granted, very few) women may get vaginal cancer after a total hysterectomy. So, I have continued to have an annual pap (although it's not called that anymore; it's a vaginal vault smear) since my hysterectomy in 2002, and will continue to have them for at least as long as my insurance company continues to pay for them.

s,
-Linda

Interesting points....my gyn told me to not worry about pap tests any longer; however, you've got me thinking that it would probably be a good idea to have my family doctor do them anyway. Thanks for the info.

I have two GYN's and they have different opinions on this topic! One says I no longer need the pap/vaginal vault smear. The other thinks they are a good idea!

I had one every year for the first five years. Since those were all clear, I now have one every 2-3 years.

I am way confused on this. I am glad you asked this question and this will be a question I asked my surgeon (gyn/onc) when I have my last followup with him in February.

When I had my 2nd opinion with an ob/gyn she said once I was done with my surgeon that I could comeback and she would do my yearlys. To me after all the pre-cancerous stuff and every other we have had to have hysterectomies, like ialwaysworry said, what is a little discomfort for a few moments? Plus IMO, I would trust my ob/gyn over a GP to do my yearly but that is just me (I have trust issues with doctors).