What can you expect from the examination?

• First, your doctor will ask you some questions. The examination takes approximately 10 minutes.
• You will undress from the waist down and lie on the examination bed. You can put your legs in the stirrups. 
• Your doctor will explain what is going to happen. He or she will use a special instrument: the speculum. Then your doctor will gently insert and open the instrument in your vagina. He or she can now see your cervix, which is the neck of the womb.
• Using the speculum, your doctor will remove some cells from the neck of your uterus with a brush. Those cells will go in a vial or glass. Your doctor will now close the speculum again and remove it.
• This is the end of the examination. You may get up and get dressed again. 
• Your doctor will put the vial containing the cells in a plastic pouch, along with a form. These will now be ready for dispatch to the lab.
• Your doctor will tell you how and when you will receive the result.

Your Pap smear will be analysed in the lab. 

The lab will send the result to the doctor who took your Pap smear.