It is very important to take care of your health, especially for women. With the risks of getting ovarian cancer and breast cancer, it is important to get tested, there are different kinds of tests that women over the age of 21 should be taking, some of them may not be pleasant but its necessary to make sure that you are healthy.
I recently had to go get a pap-smear, for those who do not know a pap smear is a screening procedure for cervical cancer, which tests for the presence of cancerous cells on the cervix.
When a woman turns 21, it is recommended that they get the test so then they can determine if you are at risk or not. If you have a history of cervical cancer in your family then you should get tested. You usually only have to go every three years, but you may have to go more frequently if you are HIV-positive or if you have a weakened immune system.
Let me tell, you the pap smear is not the most pleasant test, but it doesn't take that long.
You basically lie down on the exam table, you have to completely strip down (you can leave your socks on) then you have to spread out your legs, and put your feet on supports. It is basically the same position that you would give birth in. Then they insert something called a speculum into your vagina. This device keeps the vaginal walls open and provides access to the cervix.
Then your doctor will scrape a small sample of cells from your cervix. There are a few ways your doctor can take this sample. Some use a tool called a spatula, some use a spatula and a brush, and others used a device called a cytobrush, which is a combination spatula and brush. Most women feel a slight push and irritation during the brief scraping.
It is usually painful and uncomfortable but it is usually very quick and necessary, and it also saves lives too. It's better to put yourself through that for a minute than to not know and face it in the end.
It is also important to get a breast exam as well it can really help you. What you can do is feel them in the shower. If you feel a lump make sure you get a second opinion from a doctor.
As it is Women's History Month, it is time to start raising awareness of women's health, we can use this month to do so, it should be every month but it is a start!
Take care of yourselves ladies! After all the future is female!