Everything you need to know about Mammography and Pap test

Team Udayavani, Mar 16, 2021, 3:58 PM IST

Most of us have heard of Mammography and Pap tests but not much information about them has been disseminated. Knowing about what is happening in our body and if some diseases can be prevented from further damages, is very important.

Mammography is a test used to detect and diagnose breast cancer. It is an X-ray done to examine the breast, a key test that helps in the early diagnosis of Breast cancer.

How does one prepare for it? On the day of the mammography make sure body deodorants, perfumes, body lotion, or powders aren’t applied as they may distort the image quality of the X-rays or may look like calcium deposits.

What happens during the test?

During the mammography, each of the breasts rests on a flat X-Ray plate, a compressor is used to push down the breast to get a clear image of it in the X-Ray. If the doctor needs more information, it may be done several times.

Often digital mammography which transforms the X-Ray images into electronic pictures of the breast is used sometimes.

Mammography is an X-Ray and hence the body will receive a very small number of radiations. Although the risk involved from these radiations is quite low.

Mammography images help in detecting the calcium deposits or calcifications in the breast. Most of them aren’t signs of breast cancer.

The test also reveals if there is any cyst (fluid-filled sacks) or cancerous or non-cancerous lumps.

BI-RADS, a system that is used to describe whether additional images are required for examination or if an area is likely to have a cancerous lump.

Pap Smear Test

A Pap smear test is a screening procedure done to examine or detect the presence of cancerous or precancerous cells in your cervix.It is used to diagnose cervical cancer. It is recommended for women above 21 years of age to start getting regular Pap tests done, every three years.

A woman suffering from HIV or if a woman has a weakened immune system from an organ transplant or chemotherapy, then she is advised to get a Pap Test more frequently.

How prepare for it? Pap test is done on the day when a woman is not menstruating. Intercourse or douching the day before your test must be avoided.

What happens during the pap test? The doctor slowly inserts a device called a speculum in the vagina which will give access to the cervix. The doctor gently scrapes a small number of cells from the cervix. The cells are later tested in the laboratory.

There are no medical risks and complications associated with a Pap Smear Test and there’s a very low possibility of women experiencing a small amount of spotting after the test.

The results of the pap smear test may be normal or abnormal. If the result is abnormal, it means that there are abnormal cells on your cervix and some of them may be precancerous.