Tapestry Health provides low-cost or free breast- and cervical-cancer screening for those who are income eligible. We also accept MassHealth, Tufts, and Health New England insurance.

To find out if you qualify, or for more information, call (413) 586-2016 or 1-800-696-7752.

What Is a Pap Smear?

A Pap smear is a screening test done during a pelvic exam to look for evidence of cervical cancer. The good news is that cervical cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer if detected early enough. Pap smear tests can find cervical cancer at an early stage, when it is most curable, and even prevent the disease if precancerous lesions are found and treated.

Women who have cancer of the cervix often have no symptoms. Getting an annual Pap smear alerts you to the presence of abnormal cells before they become cancerous, so if necessary, you can be treated early on.

Who Should Get Screened

All women should begin getting a Pap test within three years of onset of sexual activity or at age 21, whichever comes first, and should be screened at least every three years, sometimes more frequently.

If you are over 30, you may need a Pap test less frequently, depending on prior results. Consult your nurse practitioner or clinician about your individual situation.

About the Test

The best time to get a Pap smear is a week or two after the end of your menstrual period. You should avoid getting a Pap smear when you have vaginal bleeding of any kind. You may also need a Pap smear after you've been treated for a vaginal infection.

Avoid having intercourse for 48 hours before the Pap test. You should also refrain from putting anything in your vagina in the same 48-hour period, including tampons, douches, diaphragms, or spermicides.

During the test a health care provider will insert a speculum into your vagina and collect cells from the cervix with a swab. The sample is sent to a lab for testing. If abnormal cells are found, then further tests are required. The test is painless, although some women may feel mild cramping.

The Results

The Pap smear is sent to a lab, where specialists will look at the cells under a microscope. Their findings are then sent to your health care provider. Your Tapestry Health clinician will contact you only if your Pap smear is NOT normal. A normal Pap smear means the cells on the cervix are healthy, and if previous Pap tests were also normal, you won't need to be tested again for at least another year.

Other possible results fall into the following categories:

• Unsatisfactory/less than optimal. This means the Pap smear cannot easily be read. This may be the result of douching, bleeding, infection, or an inadequate number of cells on the slide. When a Pap smear is unsatisfactory, it must be repeated in three to six months.
• ASCUS (Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance). This means the Pap smear showed some abnormal changes in the cells, but the cause and extent of the abnormality are not clear. You will need another Pap smear in four to six months.
• LSIL ( Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion). This may indicate that you have been infected with the human papilloma virus (HPV) [LINK TOA2al]. The virus infects as many as 75 percent of all people at some time in their lifetime, but certain strains of HPV can raise your risk for cervical cancer. Often, there are no signs or symptoms of an HPV infection, though some types may cause genital warts. [LINK TO A2af] Your nurse practitioner or clinician will recommend a specific follow-up, which may include a colposcopy, an exam that involves using a microscope-like instrument to look inside the cervix.
• HSIL (High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions). The cells on the cervix are abnormal and may progress to cancer, but they are not cancerous yet. Less than half the women with this test result will develop cancer. Your health care provider will recommend colposcopy and treatment may be necessary.

Contact a Tapestry Health clinician if you have any questions.