The Dance With The Pap

A friend recently told me she had her first pap smear and at first she was petrified but it turned out a lot less worrisome as she thought. Having had my own done some time a back, I figured I would share some things that my doctor did that helped to make the experience easier.

1. Be calm and relax. Yes it's true that the doctor is sticking a metal machine that open your vaginal walls, but really, if you're having sex a penis does the same...maybe not to the same width but it's a flexible muscle :P
2. Ask your doctor to keep simple conversation with you, to help you not think about what s/he is doing.
3. Ask the doctor to run the instrument (who's name I can't remember) under some warm water.
4. Breath in when the doctor is inserting the instrument and exhale when it is being removed. You can ask your doctor to give you a heads up when s/he is doing it.

Some tips from online about things not to do 2 days before having a pap smear done:
*douching
*using tampons (on that note, you won't get a pap smear done while on your period and you should give yourself a little break before you get the pap smear done if your period just ended)
*using vaginal creams, suppositories, and medicines
*using vaginal deodorant sprays and powders
*having sex.

It's your health and it is your doctor. If you're gonna be paying so much money you might as well get your moneys worth with quality service not only with medical advice but personality and interpersonal skills. Pap smears aren't that bad...jussayin