Prenatal pap smear and pelvic exam??

[knobby]

Has anyone had their prenatal pelvic exam and pap smear yet? How many weeks were you when your dr did these?

My dr has not brought it up yet and I have been to see him twice. They were earlier appointments due to my miscarriage history and were just for scans (he usually sees patients for their first prenatal appointment at 8 weeks) so maybe that is why?

I will ask him at my next appointment at 8w5d but was just curious when others have gotten their pelvic exam and pap smear.

 

[Abbey08]

They did mine at my 1st appt at 8 weeks.

 

[HorrorFan88]

I didn't have my first appt until 9 weeks 2 days due to Xmas being the week before and they were closed. I got a pelvic exam and Pap smear.

 

[HerdingDogs]

With my previous pregnancies that ended at 9 weeks, I never had a pap smear. But it could have been because the future of the pregnancy was not conclusive. I did have scans though. This time, my gyn did say I'll be having a pelvic exam at my 9 week/ first prenatal.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

I think it depends on the OB. The one I saw at the beginning of my pregnancy reviewed my history and said she didn't think one was necessary. I switched half way through to another insurance and office, and the OB there did one at the beginning of the third trimester.

 

[sil]

Mine was at my 8 week appt after my dating scan. I had my first appt at 4 weeks and another at 6 weeks but they waited until 8 to do it.

 

[MamaLoCo]

Has anyone had their prenatal pelvic exam and pap smear yet? How many weeks were you when your dr did these?

My dr has not brought it up yet and I have been to see him twice. They were earlier appointments due to my miscarriage history and were just for scans (he usually sees patients for their first prenatal appointment at 8 weeks) so maybe that is why?

I will ask him at my next appointment at 8w5d but was just curious when others have gotten their pelvic exam and pap smear.

My doctor performed my pap smear right after my ultrasound at my first appointment. I was 9 weeks.

 

[misspriss]

Recent recommendations have come out to say no more often than every 3 years instead of every year for the pap, so that may be why some women don't get them. Some doctors still do annually though. My doctor offer the pap but said I could wait until after the baby was born, I opted to wait. I did get a pelvic exam though, but I know I have heard they don't do them as routinely in the UK.

 

[knobby]

@misspriss, I thought about the 3 year thing, but I think that is the recommendation for nonpregnant women. I think that rule may be disregarded if you are pregnant. I'm not 100% sure. The pap not only checks for cancer cells, but also a couple different infections which would be important to know about in a pregnancy I think.

Thanks for everyone's responses so far. It looks like the average is 8-9 weeks.

 

[Mrsgoodhart]

My doctor wasn't going to do mine until the second trimester last pregnancy due to some spotting, but I didn't make it that far. Now, 7 weeks into this pregnancy, I haven't seen him yet but I'd be perfectly happy to wait for the pap. I worry about too much as it is.

 

[Abbey08]

Recent recommendations have come out to say no more often than every 3 years instead of every year for the pap, so that may be why some women don't get them. Some doctors still do annually though. My doctor offer the pap but said I could wait until after the baby was born, I opted to wait. I did get a pelvic exam though, but I know I have heard they don't do them as routinely in the UK.

it is for non pregnant people. I had one in July before I even had my IUD out and when I got pregnant my same OB did one 5 months later (december) and said I'll have another after I give birth.

 

[misspriss]

Well I have never had an abnormal one. The recommendations say HPV should not even be tested for until after 30, as it is so transient in younger women.

As long as you are in a monogamous relationship and you and your partner have been tested for infections in the past, there really isn't any way to pick them up, now is there.

 

[Abbey08]

I've never had an abnormal one either. And I am 26.

 

[misspriss]

I guess I just trust my doctor, she said it could wait. I don't have any reason to believe that a baby in my belly makes a difference in my cancer cells or infections that could wait 3 years if I wasn't pregnant

 

[knobby]

As long as you are in a monogamous relationship and you and your partner have been tested for infections in the past, there really isn't any way to pick them up, now is there.

This is perhaps a little rude to those who have opted to have a pap smear because it questions why they chose to have it done.

Pap smears and pelvic exams are a standard in prenatal care and are offered by most obgyns. Most women don't look at it as an option, just a part of their routine prenatal care. Drs have to at least offer a pap smear and inform you of the reasons for it because they would otherwise be liable if they didn't offer it and something happened to the baby as a result.

I have never had an abnormal pap either and am in a monogamous and faithful relationship, but I will still have one done.

 

[misspriss]

Didn't mean to come across rude, but that is what comes of lying in bed with insomnia...

Anyway I meant no rudeness by it, I just don't see the need to mess around with my cervix while pregnant. I had some spotting in the first tri and would not welcome any extra irritation to my delicate cervix.

But I stand by what I said, I am married, DH and I have both been tested at least twice since we have been together, neither of us have infections, and we aren't picking them up anywhere else either. And thank goodness, my family may be at high risk for hear disease, high blood pressure, stroke, but thank goodness no increased risk for cancer.

And I never read that the 3 yr recommendations were NOT for pregnant women, no one has presented a valid reason why pregnancy increases your need for a PAP that would not be needed otherwise.

I should probably step away from the phone and get some sleep...

 

[Mrsgoodhart]

The purpose of a pap smear is only to detect the presence of cancerous or suspicious cells....those can be present in the absence of HPV. They're not going looking for STDs. Different tests for that.

 

[knobby]

The purpose of a pap smear is only to detect the presence of cancerous or suspicious cells....those can be present in the absence of HPV. They're not going looking for STDs. Different tests for that.

They actually can detect infection https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/718158_4

 

[Mrsgoodhart]

I can't read the article at work...not sure why medscape is blocked at a hospital but whatever I guess, lol
I get that they can pick up infections but in my (I guess limited) experience being pregnant, infections were tested for separately and that wasn't the sole basis for doing the pap. But hey, they do things differently in different places. Just saying that they're not really doing paps during pregnancy to weed out the promiscuous whores

 

[knobby]

I can't read the article at work...not sure why medscape is blocked at a hospital but whatever I guess, lol

It basically says that paps can diagnose a couple different infections but it also detects inflammed cervical cells which would trigger the need for additional testing to figure out what the infection is:

Infection. Evidence of the presence of sexually transmitted organisms may be found on Pap smears. In some cases, this evidence is specific (e.g., finding a trichomonad, Fig. 3), whereas in other cases the evidence may be nonspecific (e.g., inflammatory cells). Bacterial vaginosis can be detected by the presence of clue cells (Fig. 4). In general, the Pap smear is insensitive for the diagnosis of lower genital tract infections, but it may be reasonably specific (Table IV). HPV infection can be reliably diagnosed if both nuclear and cytoplasmic changes are present (Fig. 5).

Just saying that they're not really doing paps during pregnancy to weed out the promiscuous whores

So true. Plus not all infections of the female genital tract are STDs anyways, just in case anyone reading this thread thinks otherwise.