Considering refusing pap smear...

Mrs.Teddy

I talked to a friend about this, for some reason I really don't like the idea of getting a pap smear done during pregnancy. I know it will make me spot and cramp and I just think things are better off not messed with. I get yearly paps from my OB/gyn and last had one last august. I know some gyn do them every 2 years for young healthy women with one partner. Anyways I have to go to my family dr next week and apparently he wants to do one, I'm thinking of refusing. If it was abnormal they don't do anything during pregnancy anyways, I didn't have it done with my last pregnancy and I will have it done at my 6 week post partum follow up. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

erinchickchick

I can't remember my doc ever giving me one when pregnant.  I have had abnormal paps before (9 years ago) but I would feel fine not having one while pregnant and just waiting for the first PP exam.

crystalmeyer08

I have been considering this too!  My last one was April of 2010...and if you are supposed to get them every 2 yrs now (based on what my OBGYN said last time), then I am going to refuse it and just wait...I am healthy, one partner, never had an abnormal one before.

bio-oesch

I had one last time I was pregnant and was fine, but that was with a diff doc. It doesnt actually cause mc right? Now im not sure what I want to do

snoangel79

I had mine in April and would refuse if for some reason they wanted to do one again. If you had abnormal cells they wouldn't do anything at this point (I know this with low grade not sure what they do with high grade though).

lora2116

I agree with you. I have heard of doctors doing paps on women during pregnancy and I am not sure if mine is planning on doing one on Tuesday or not. But, I have decided if he wants to do one I am going to refuse. I just had one in January and I get one every year. Nothing has ever been abnormal in my paps so I do not think there is a need for one. I stay stick with your guns and refuse to have it.

sweetberry80

I was supposed to have one yesterday. It has been over year since I had one.  I was in my gown with a drape when my doctor walked in.  She said with my past history of miscarriages that she wasn't going to do anything that was not 100% necessary and that she didn't want me to worry with spotting or anything caused from a pap.  My doctor is wonderful and very informed so I'm comfortable with her decision. 

Mrs.Teddy

bio-oesch:

I had one last time I was pregnant and was fine, but that was with a diff doc. It doesnt actually cause mc right? Now im not sure what I want to do

No I don't think there is any evidence to show it causes mc. However if I had it and something happened I think I would worry/relate it.

I am going to refuse and just say I will do it after. I have never had an abnormal one and am not high risk. I bled a lot witih my first pregnancy (not from a pap, I didn't have one last time) and I know how scary it is. i don't want to do anything to cause any bleeding at all.

SteelCity44

I got one at my appointment and was nervous. She warned me about spotting, but I was pleasantly surprised to never spot from it. It was actually the best pap I've ever experienced (new doctor for me)!

Kdrake8

I'm SO glad you posted this!  I literally had my yearly exam and got my pap smear 4 days before I got my BFP... I was wondering if they would give me a pap smear again, as I'd rather not have one since I literally JUST had one done like 3 weeks ago.

I'm definitely going to refuse now if they try to make me have one!  This convo helped so much!

LDW80

I had one with both my DDs and there were no problems.  I think if it were to cause m/c the dr. would not be doing it and I would want one to make sure there wasn't anything that could be abnormal (like if you were higher risk for having abnormal pap smears) and risk something happening to the baby, KWIM.

Johlise

My doctor probably won't due to my history... and she doesn't push me to have one more than every 3 years or so.

WildcatPrincess

I had one last time at my 12 week appoint and will again this time, I assume. I get them yearly and my last was June last year. It's not a big deal to have it done while pg.

funkymonkeyohyeahhh

Okay, I am freaking out a little bit reading all of this now. What would be the reason for not doing it? Just that you might spot? Could something actually happen because of it?

I had one done at my appointment on Monday because it'd been a little over a year. Refusing never crossed my mind. I haven't spotted since having it done. 

WildcatPrincess

funkymonkeyohyeahhh:

Okay, I am freaking out a little bit reading all of this now. What would be the reason for not doing it? Just that you might spot? Could something actually happen because of it?

I had one done at my appointment on Monday because it'd been a little over a year. Refusing never crossed my mind. I haven't spotted since having it done. 

No it's not going to do anything. Maybe in an extremely rare case, but I can't imagine doctors would go around doing paps if they caused miscarriages. It may cause spotting and cramping due to irritation of the cervix, just like when you're not pregnant, that's all.

mamabear0813

Yeah, I wouldn't refuse. Even if they don't do anything immediately I'd be able to use the time I was pregnant to get a plan in action for further testing. They don't go into your uterus, the just scrape the outside of your cervix. 

dixee.deluxe

Here's the way I think of it....don't refuse your pap (which is done for actual HEALTH reasons) if you're going to accept internals at the end (which is done for no good reason).

I had one with my first because I have a history of abnormal paps and had a leep shortly before because of grade 4 cells. 

This time, I couldn't wait because I really wanted her to check out my scar from where I tore last time. 

biblionerd

New ACOG guidelines state that healthy women do not need to get paps yearly now. They're based on your age and history, but at the minimum they are every 2 years now. I would imagine that would still apply to pg women... can't imagine why not. At my pp checkup my OB said that since my last one was in October I would be good for over another year.

cosmodawlitan

I'm totally refusing one. I just had one back in March and it gave me a yeast infection which led to a lot of problems that I'm only just now feeling better from. There's no way in hell I'm dealing with that again on top of being pregnant. 

dixee.deluxe

so if you're refusing a pap, will you still get a pelvic?  or is it having something in your vagina that skeeves you out?

(pssst....viability u/s are transvaginal) 

dixee.deluxe

That was snarky, I'm sorry.

As someone who had HPV that went UNDAGNOSED for EIGHT YEARS despite paps TWICE YEARLY, I'm sensitive to refusing stuff like this.

My GYN at the time was a quack and my OB finally did something about it and the cells were on the verge of a grade 5.  This is also what I attribute to what could have been IF as I didn't get pregnant for 12 cycles, then had to rest 2 cycles because of surgery then got pregnant RIGHT AWAY.

I get the new ACOG guidelines, but I think they are just going to be used by insurance companies to not pay for paps for women who need them.  

:::gets off of soapbox:::

/rant 

WildcatPrincess

dixee.deluxe:

Here's the way I think of it....don't refuse your pap (which is done for actual HEALTH reasons) if you're going to accept internals at the end (which is done for no good reason).

I had one with my first because I have a history of abnormal paps and had a leep shortly before because of grade 4 cells. 

This time, I couldn't wait because I really wanted her to check out my scar from where I tore last time. 

Internals are like u/s - everyone wants them but me lol. I was SO glad to hear my office didn't do them!

cosmodawlitan

dixee.deluxe:

That was snarky, I'm sorry.

As someone who had HPV that went UNDAGNOSED for EIGHT YEARS despite paps TWICE YEARLY, I'm sensitive to refusing stuff like this.

My GYN at the time was a quack and my OB finally did something about it and the cells were on the verge of a grade 5.  This is also what I attribute to what could have been IF as I didn't get pregnant for 12 cycles, then had to rest 2 cycles because of surgery then got pregnant RIGHT AWAY.

I get the new ACOG guidelines, but I think they are just going to be used by insurance companies to not pay for paps for women who need them.  

:::gets off of soapbox:::

/rant 

That's definitely a valid point. I'm refusing one simply because I've recently had one and have never had an abnormal result before, and also because apparently pregnancy makes me very prone to have yeast infections. I've just finished up treating my third one. The first came about around the time of my pap, the second came about when I was misdiagnosed (they told me it wasn't a yeast infection when in fact it was) and the third was a flare up after I got my BFP. I've been yeast-infection-free for about a week now. So that's a concern of mine...to just keep it balanced and healthy down there for the remaining time being pregnant. 

I won't refuse a pelvic exam, but I do want to control any lubricants or anything put in my body. I know that was what started this whole thing to begin with during the original pap smear. The lubricant used had parabens in it, which I am allergic to. The next day after the pap, I was itching like crazy and it was all downhill from there.

Mrs.Teddy

dixee.deluxe:

so if you're refusing a pap, will you still get a pelvic?  or is it having something in your vagina that skeeves you out?

(pssst....viability u/s are transvaginal) 

Was this to me as OP? Nothing "skeeves" me. I'm a L&D nurse and have no problems with pelvics (not fun to do or get but at times necessary). I just bled for most of my last pregnancy and it terrified me even after my diagnosis and I KNEW why I was bleeding. I have been getting yearly paps for over 10 years now and I have one partner (like EVER). I believe they are safe or they wouldn't be routinely done. And if my OB who does my yearly paps really feels its necessary after I voice my concerns that I will oblige. But my family dr who I last saw 3 years ago when I got my BFP with DS won't be doing it when I know it can be done safely every 2 years to a low risk person such as myself.

After the day I've had with an EXTREMELY painful transvaginal ultrasound I'm not willing to do anything to irritate anything. I was just wondering how other people felt about that idea.

dixee.deluxe

Damn Bump fart!  I had a really good response and it got eaten!

As I said before, my response was snarky and I apologize.  My response could have been less emotional and more educational.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to you (as your post above clarified).  But so often I hear of women refusing paps, then in the next breath saying "WHYYYY can't I have a 1st tri u/s!?"  And then at 36w saying "I can't wait for my internals to see if I have dilated!"

Know what I mean?  It doesn't make sense to refuse a test that's critical for women's health, but then beg for interventions that aren't.  This may not apply to anyone posting here, but I just get all heated.