A 38-year-old member asked:
Is a pap smear safe during pregnancy?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
A Verified Doctoranswered
A US doctor answeredLearn more
Yes: Pap smears are safe in pregnancy and they are recommended at the first prenatal visit if it has been more than a year since your last pap. Sometimes they will cause spotting afterwards because the cervix is more easily irritated during pregnancy. This is common and usually stops within 24 hours.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. William Banks Hinshawanswered
Obstetrics and Gynecology 45 years experience
Yes: The pap smear takes superficial cells from the outside of the cervix and first part of the canal. Sometimes, for various reasons, the cervical canal may bleed after the test has been done, but this bleeding does not mean that the pregnancy is threatened and does not by any means necessarily mean that there is a problem with your cervix.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Similar questions
North East, MD
A 20-year-old female asked:
Can a pap smear detect a pregnancy?
2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Robert Killiananswered
General Practice 30 years experience
Detecting Pregnancy: A pelvic exam and the visual part of a pap smear can clue the doctor into asking if you could be pregnant. The pap part of the exam, the scraping of the cervix has no ability to tell if one is pregnant. That is not what the pap smear is for.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Sep 7, 2018
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