Is bleeding during a pap smear and tender cervix normal? hi, i am 19 years old i have only had two sexual partners i have had lower abdominal pain which the doctors think is from my scar tissue. today i had a pap smear and my gyno said my cervix was swoll

First : First of all your concern about cervical cancer is valid, given that your grandmother had cervical cancer. But, at 19 yrs old cervical cancer is not something to be concerned. The incidence is almost none to rare. In fact, as per new guidelines by health care leaders, pap smear should be started when woman is 21 yrs old. However there are other reasons why a pap smear was thought necessary before age 21. The most important thing for woman exam (pelvic exam) at your age is std screening and if woman has any menstrual problems or pelvic pain issues. So, with the above information i provided, bleeding during pap smear if it is unusually more and if the cervix is very tender, i would recommend that you should get std screening. Infections with chlamydia and trichomonas can cause tender cervix, pain with intercourse and also can make it bleed easily. Sometimes, woman might not have typical symptoms of burning and vaginal discharge with chlamydia infection. Just that infection with chlamydia has long term implications on fertility and other complications, it is worth getting checked. My sincere advise is to use protection without failure any time to prevent stds. I do want to provide you with some more information about cervical cancer and how to modify any risk factors to decrease your risk of cervical cancer in the future. One of the risk factors that causes cervical cancer is hpv infection. But more than half of women of your age fight it off and get rid of it. Human papilloma virus is a infection that is transmitted sexually. This puts women at high risk for cervical cancer. There is a vaccine available to prevent the risk of getting high risk hpv from partners. At your age that is very well worth the cost to get the vaccine. It is a series of 3 injections over a period of 6 months. Please talk to your doctor for more information about risk factors for cervical cancer. I hope this is helpful information to you.

Hi. : Hi. It is very unusual to have cervical cancer at your age. The pap test result should be available fairly quickly. The test result will tell you whether there is anything to worry about or any inflammation. It sounds like the cervix may be inflamed and it is this inflammation that caused it to feel swollen, painful and friable (easy to bleed). Some pap tests can automatically check for human papilloma virus (hpv), gonorrhea, chlamydia, and even other infections such as trichomonas or candida (yeast). I would encourage you to schedule a follow up appointment with your doctor to discuss these results when they are available as well as the possible causes and treatment options for the these other symptoms you are reporting. Good luck. Don't despair.