PAP smears and pregnancy

[faith]

Ladies:

I am due in Feb 2016. My pap smear is due oct 2015..dr said we should do one if i am due for one but did some research and it seems paps during pregnancy up the risk of miscarriage....what should i do? i know i dont have an std's (dh cant drive and we work together all day long...no way he is running around on me!) that is what paps are mostly for right? and hpv? i just dont think its worth the risk of a miscarriage...it disturbs the mucous plug does it not? ADVICE PLEASE! i would rather put if off until the baby is born, i was also reading that paps can give off results bc of all the hormonal changes going on right now...what to do?!!? i believe it is my choice right? drs receptionist said she had one at 3 or 4 months and she was fine.... but after trying for 2 yrs and finally being prego...i dont want to risk any chance of miscarriage.

[Findabhair]

I had high miscarriage risk during my pregnancy with DD and I decided to decline a pap until after pregnancy. It was done as part of my physical after I had DD. I also declined the amniocentesis for the same reason. I was told of the risks of this but we already have spina bifida in DH's side of the family and we had no plans to abort any child we were given and knew we would have support.

[Jellybean]

No one should "make you" do a pap smear. It should completely be your call. You need to decide if the risks of waiting and having your pap smear done 5-6 months later, outweighs the risks of having one done during pregnancy. It sounds like you've already made this call, and that the risk to your baby is more concerning to you than the risk to you of not having your pap smear done. I'd say go with your gut.

If it makes you feel better... I'd likely make the same call. But then again, I'm already a few months late with having my pap smear done, and I don't have the excuse of being pregnant. LOL

[SpringChicks]

Tell your doctor that you would rather have it done during your postpartum check-up. Do not consent to something you are not 100% comfortable with.

[a_bun_in_the_oven]

I would also decline until your PP check, and even then after experiacing a painful PP pap I would even play that one by ear as well. Are you on the 3 year schedule?

[/wasn't me/]

had pap at 6 weeks pp both times. i would definitely decline it in your situation

[llubberts]

It does not increase your risk of miscarriage. It can cause cervical bleeding/spotting because the entire area becomes more vascular or blood filled in pregnancy, but that does not cause risk to the fetus or pregnancy. Bleeding with a miscarriage comes from the placental site. Pap smears only look for abnormal cervical cells (ie. cancer or pre-cancerous cells), while they are there they may do a chlamydia and gonorrhea swab, but you can do those test via urine now. HPV is a known cause of cervical cancer, but it is not screened for during a pap smear. It can be screened for but last time I checked the test was not covered by OHIP.
Old cervical screening guidelines did recommend pap smears in early pregnancy as and estrogen based cancers can grow rampant during pregnancy.
Physicians like to do pap smears in early vs. late pregnancy because they become clinically difficult to do further along in the pregnancy as the cervix becomes longer, firmer and more points backwards more. Therefore they are being done in a time period where miscarriages happen anyways and people then feel it was related to the pap. That being said, many women decline pap smears in pregnancy as any amount of bleeding causes them stress. Ultimately you should do what you feel the most comfortable with.

[Tutumom]

I would decline and just get one at your 6 weeks postpartum appointment. You aren't going that much over, and you have no concerns. I got one at my 6 weeks postpartum appt and I wasn't due until this winter. I wanted my midwife to do it rather than my family doc.

[smelltheroses]

I would absolutely decline it. I think the risk is never worth it. There are often false positives when pregnant as your cells are different and can change a bit. I would avoid at all cost until afterwards.

[momx2]

Pap smears look for abnormal cervical cells. If you have abnormal cells you have to get another pap done, then yearly for so many years (I think). I did not have any pap smears done through my 4 pregnancies. The way I looked at it is, if something is found I am not going to do anything about it until after baby is born any way. Also, I have had abnormal cells once and the second check was fine. I was told sometimes cells come back abnormal if pap was taken around your monthly cycle, so perhaps pregnancy can change them too? The doctor is just giving you his opinion, ultimately it is your body and your decision to make.