A visit to the gynecological office is a mandatory procedure for all women. It is recommended to go through it at least twice a year. Almost every visit to the gynecologist is accompanied by taking tests. A urogenital smear allows you to determine the degree of purity of the female body, the presence of inflammation and infection.
Reasons and reasons to get tested
If you have certain symptoms, you should not wait for a scheduled gynecological examination, it is better to contact immediately to determine the cause of discomfort. The following symptoms should be the reason for visiting a doctor or taking extraordinary tests:
1. Uncharacteristic vaginal discharge (eg, curdled, greenish, odorous, etc.).
2. Pain in the lower abdomen.
3. Burning or itching in the intimate area.
4. Taking strong antibiotics.
5. Planning for conception.
Preparing for a doctor's appointment
Despite the general opinion that it is not necessary to prepare for the test, this is not the case. There are a number of recommendations that you should follow to get a more accurate and reliable result:
1. Refrain from going to the toiletat least 2-3 hours. Otherwise, urine can disrupt the microflora and wash away some of the bacteria.
2. Procedures such as douching, washing with harsh (antibacterial) soaps, or using medicated suppositories can interfere with results.
3. If possible, it is better to postpone the test for the period after menstruation.
4. Refrain from sexual intercourse on the eve of your doctor's appointment.
Testing procedure
Urogenital smear is taken at the first gynecological appointment. The analysis is most often carried out by the attending physician, but sometimes the procedure can be carried out by a nurse (for example, in medical laboratories).
After placing the patient in the gynecological chair, the doctor collects biological material with a spatula. To do this, he runs the instrument along the walls of the vagina, urethra and cervical canal. The spatula is usually metal or plastic. After taking a smear, it is distributed in an even layer over a small glass, where different areas are marked in Latin letters. The procedure does not cause pain.
Such an analysis can be taken not only by women, but by men. To do this, the doctor inserts a special probe into the urethra and turns it several times. Urogenital smear in men, as a rule, does not cause pain, but still the procedure is quite unpleasant. Pain may be aggravated by the presence of diseases or infections.
The next step is shipping and researchurogenital smear in the laboratory. The biological material is dried, after which the smear is stained in different colors, which allows you to reliably determine the degree of purity and other indicators.
Terms for preparation of results and cost of the procedure
A swab from the urogenital tract is a simple procedure that takes little time. The results of the analysis are usually ready the next day. You can take a similar analysis at the district clinic at the place of residence, and completely free of charge.
In the absence of time and desire to wait a long time for free treatment, you can always contact a paid laboratory or a private medical clinic. Here, the analysis of a urogenital smear will cost 450-600 rubles. The terms for preparing the results are the same as in the district clinic, that is, one day.
Urogenital smear: results and their interpretation
A smear on the degree of purity allows you to get results on such indicators: leukocytes, epithelium, infections, flora, mucus and others. The results of the analyzes are always presented in the form of a table with the following main columns: urethra ("U"), vagina ("V"), cervical canal ("C"). Additional columns are the names of the studied indicators.
1. The indicators in the "V" line tell about the composition of the vaginal flora.
2. Cervical canal, or cervix. The data of this column reveal the composition of the flora of this particular area of the body.
3. The urethra, or urethra, is the thirdgraph.
In order to understand the results obtained, it is worth knowing the approximate standards and indicators:
1. The squamous epithelium is the cells found in the uterus and vagina. They must be present in the body, otherwise the doctor may suspect the development of a deficiency or excess of certain hormones. Normally, their content should be from 5 to 10. Microscopy of the urogenital smear can show an increase in the content of squamous cells due to an increase in the content of estrogen in the blood. In the premenopausal period, the content of the epithelium can decrease significantly, which is associated with a decrease in the amount of estrogen.
2. The presence of leukocytes - they are responsible for protecting the intimate area. In the urethra, the number of leukocytes should be from 0 to 5, in the vagina - from 0 to 10 (during pregnancy, the numbers rise to 20). A small amount of them is considered normal and indicates that the body is he althy. A urogenital smear, in which leukocytes are elevated, indicates an incipient inflammation (urethritis, urolithiasis, damage to the epithelium by a stone or sand). The higher the number, the more developed the inflammatory process.
3. Staphylococcus aureus - its presence in the smear is normal. An increased content of bacteria indicates the onset of the inflammatory process.
4. Mucus - an increased content of this biological material may indicate poor hygiene, inflammation, or incorrect smear taking. Normally, the indicator should be moderate.
A he althy organism is inhabited by an abundance of biologicalcoli (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli). They protect the intimate area from the ingress and development of inflammation and infection. During the period of gestation by a woman, the content of lactobacilli in the vagina increases even more in order to create reliable protection against infections. With a decrease in their number, the development of dysbacteriosis is possible.
Foreign bacteria may indicate infection or inflammation. Urogenital smear (decoding of which is given above) may contain:
1. Cocci are bacteria. There are several types of them: diplococci, gonococci. A large number of them may indicate the development of inflammation in the vagina, urethra or dysbacteriosis. There are positive and negative cocci. Their structure is very different, which affects the type of treatment required. Gram-positive indicate the presence of streptococci or staphylococci. Gram-negative, or gonococci, are the causes of gonorrhea. Depending on their type, the doctor makes a choice of drugs.
2. Small sticks are often symptoms of gardnerellosis.
3. Fungal bacteria indicate the development of a fungal disease (thrush, or candidiasis).
4. Trichomonas - their presence indicates the development of trichomoniasis.
5. Atypical (key) cells stick together with biological rods. Often they talk about the development of bacterial vaginosis (vaginal dysbacteriosis) or gardnerellez.
6. Leptrotrix is a bacterium that is often present in the microflora. Herselfin itself, it is not a disease, but its detection indicates a violation of the state of the microflora or the presence of a sexually transmitted disease. It often accompanies diseases such as thrush and vaginosis.
For the cervical canal, the following indicators are normal: leukocytes from 0 to 30, the epithelium is normal, the rest of the bacteria and cells should be absent.
Microscopy of the urogenital smear can reveal the presence of mixed flora. This is a fairly common diagnosis. Most often, this occurs in adolescents or women in menopause. Otherwise, mixed flora may indicate a malfunction of the ovaries, dysbacteriosis, infection, inflammation of the pelvic organs, a certain period of the cycle.
In most cases, a urogenital smear will reveal the presence of an inflammatory process or infection, but it does not give a complete picture.
If abnormalities are found, the doctor may need additional test results. This is due to the fact that the total smear does not show urogenital infections. Many viruses and bacteria are so small that they can only be detected by a separate self-examination and infection testing.
To determine the reaction of the infection to drugs, a bacteriological culture is taken.
Male Pap tests are normal
Urogenital smear in men shows the presence of leukocytes, epithelium, cocci, Trichomonas, mucus and microflora. The analysis is taken from the urethra usingspecial spatula. Laboratory results are always presented in the form of a table with two columns. Normal indicators for men are:
1. Leukocytes - from 0 to 5.
2. Epithelium - from 5 to 10.
3. Slime - moderate content.
4. Cocci are single.
The rest of the indicators (mushrooms, gonococci and Trichomonas) should be absent. Deviations from the norm may indicate the presence of an inflammatory process or infection. This may be the reason for the appointment of additional tests in order to obtain a complete picture. Only after that, treatment is prescribed if necessary.
Urogenital smear: the norm for men
In the body of a he althy man, the content of leukocytes from 0 to 5, epithelium from 5 to 10, cocci in a single amount, the rest of the indicators should be 0.
Any deviation from the norm is a reason for additional examination. An elevated white blood cell count may indicate the development of urethritis, prostatitis, urolithiasis, narrowing of the urethra, or the development of a tumor.
Increase in the amount of epithelium is also a negative indicator. Perhaps the development of inflammation or urolithiasis. The content of cocci can be caused by an increase in the content of bacteria and the development of urethritis against this background. Mucus may indicate inflammation, urethritis or prostatitis.
Similar tests
Analysis of the degree of purity of the vagina implies four categories. However, only twothe first ones speak about the he alth of a woman, the next two indicate the presence of a disease:
1. First degree of purity. This result is quite rare. It testifies to the he alth of a woman. All indicators are normal.
2. The second degree of purity. A very common result. In this case, the number of leukocytes does not exceed the permissible norm, and mucus and epithelium are moderately present. The presence of fungi and cocci is noted, but in a small number. There are a large number of lactobacilli.
3. The third degree of purity. It is characterized by an abundance of mucus and epithelium. There is an increase in the number of fungi and bacteria, while the number of lactobacilli is low.
4. The fourth degree of purity. Characterized by an abundance of white blood cells, mucus and harmful organisms.
The first two degrees of purity speak of the he alth of the body. Subsequent degrees indicate the need for urgent treatment. After undergoing drug treatment, tests are repeated.
Taking a test during pregnancy
During pregnancy, a urogenital swab is taken three times: on the day of the first examination and registration, at 30 weeks and before delivery.
Checks are made to rule out inflammation or infection. Any deviation from the norm can affect the development of the fetus.
There are differences in swabs between pregnant and non-pregnant women:
1. The content of sticks increases significantly, which is caused by the need to create an acidic flora. It prevents the development of pathogenicmicroflora.
2. The number of epithelial cells is growing. It is essential for nourishing lactobacilli and supporting their growth.
The rest of the indicators are identical. The presence of unwanted microorganisms requires treatment.
Disadvantages of such research
Despite the versatility of such a study and a large number of indicators studied, urogenital analysis has a serious drawback - it is the impossibility of an accurate diagnosis of the disease. To determine the presence of an infection and determine its type, you will have to pass an additional analysis for STDs.
However, the urogenital swab is the simplest and cheapest way to determine the patient's condition. Many other similar analyzes are used. Some doctors consider this type of study to be an outdated technique and prefer other analysis options. Despite this, the general smear to determine the purity of the body is still relevant and is used by many.
Conclusion
Thus, deciphering the results of a urogenital smear will not seem so difficult if you know the rules of interpretation. You can take a similar analysis in most medical institutions, and the speed of obtaining the result makes it very popular and in demand.
