From year to year, doctors repeat the same recommendation, but our women ignore it with inexplicable persistence. Once a year, each representative of the fair sex should visit the gynecologist's office, even if at this moment she is absolutely not bothered by anything. Believe me, there are many reasons for this: to detect inflammation in time, to check for infections in a timely manner, to choose the most correct contraceptive for yourself. And each such visit involves taking tests. What swabs do gynecologists take? What do they find out with their help? And how to prepare for the test?
First, a little about the microflora of female organs, it is with her that the first smear at the gynecologist is associated. The vagina of a he althy woman, like the rest of the environment of our body, is inhabited by many microbes, they create the normal microflora in it. Basically, there are lactobacilli - bacteria that maintain an acidic environment inside the body, and it, in turn, inhibits the growth of allpathogenic bacteria. Also, in a he althy patient, a small amount of candida fungi, streptococci, staphylococci and ureaplasmas can be found. If a woman has a gynecological disease (this also applies to diseases that are sexually transmitted), then the microflora of the vagina changes. And by the nature of the changes, the specialist determines the cause of the disease.
A smear from a gynecologist for flora - this is the name of the analysis, which is taken from the vagina and two channels: the urethra and the cervix. This is done to determine the balance of the flora, the number of leukocytes and to identify diseases. How to take a smear from a gynecologist? For this, special tampons are used, the analysis is usually painless, discomfort can occur only when the tampon comes into contact with the cervix. The collected secretions are applied to special glasses and sent to the laboratory. Usually the result is ready in a few hours or 1-3 days.
Gynecologist smear for cytology, the presence of atypical cells, Pap test - all this is a Pap smear. This analysis ranks first in gynecology among preventive tests. With its help, an assessment of the structure of the cells of the cervix is \u200b\u200band a diagnosis of cancer is carried out. It is also used to detect malignant papillomavirus in women after the age of thirty. If this test in the patient reveals dysplasia (the presence of uncharacteristic cells), then an examination of the cervix under a microscope (colposcopy) is prescribed.
In order for any smear from a gynecologist to give a reliable result, several conditions must be met. A couple of days before the examination, you should refrain from sexual intercourse, any means of intimate hygiene and douching. From the use of tablets, vaginal suppositories should be abandoned for a week, their use is possible only by agreement with the doctor. In the evening before the examination, you should wash yourself with warm water alone, in the morning this should not be done at all. Analyzes are done a few days before menstruation or in the first few days after it ends. If it began on the day appointed for the examination, then the visit to the doctor should be rescheduled. As you can see, there are no impossible conditions here, but they must be adhered to in order to avoid false results, and hence re-examinations.
