Why is it necessary for women to have a Pap test every year?
Gynecology is at the forefront of population control programs because there is a great common secret. Gynecological cancers are preventable.
After many years of economic and health crisis at the global and national level, Greece is making a significant effort to protect its population with intensive preventive checks focusing on gynecological health. The Athens Medical Group is enthusiastically participating in this campaign for World Health Day. The contribution of the annual preventive gynecological check-up is often equivalent to ensuring the prevention of the majority of cancers that can be diagnosed in a woman.
The systematic gynecological examination includes the clinical examination, the Pap test, the palpation of the breasts, the gynecological ultrasound and the digital mammography. The examination of each system has a different repetition rate, but the gynecological system is ideally checked every year. It is not only the multiple information that we get by examining the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, ovaries and breast, but also the diagnosis of pathology that concerns other health issues, such as diabetes mellitus, vascular pathology, autoimmune, endocrine and cardiological issues.
The annual examination of the female organs, in addition to highlighting issues of cancer prevention and treatment, highlights issues related to reproduction, smooth urination, sexual and endocrine health of women. When it comes to cancer prevention issues, the gynecologist raises awareness individually according to the woman’s health needs.
Regarding primary prevention, he recommends the second-generation vaccine against cervical cancer. In secondary prevention, he performs the classic or liquid cytology Pap test, the HPV DNA test and the detection of molecular markers that highlight pathology from the cervix. He always complements it with the bimanual gynecological examination and the transvaginal ultrasound examination of the internal genital organs.
All of this is done in a ten-minute gynecological examination. Isn’t it worth it?
