{"id":22126,"date":"2025-01-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/?p=22126"},"modified":"2025-07-14T09:37:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T14:37:02","slug":"frottis-cervical-douloureux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/fr\/painful-pap-smear\/","title":{"rendered":"La douleur emp\u00eache les femmes de se soumettre r\u00e9guli\u00e8rement \u00e0 un test de Papanicolaou"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We previously published a primer on what to expect during a pap smear (which you can read here<\/a>), which did not adequately address the pain many women experience during this procedure. In this companion piece, let\u2019s talk about why pap smears are so painful for some women and, more importantly, what can be done to decrease pap smear pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By way of a refresher, pap smears are valuable because they screen for cervical cancer. They can also detect human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, which causes the vast majority of cervical cancer cases. But if women skip regular pap smears, which are recommended every 3 years for the average woman, they miss out on a key window to detect HPV infection before it progresses to precancerous and then cancerous cells. This matters especially for women on hormonal birth control, since prolonged use increases cervical cancer risk<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When pap smears hurt, women stop getting them<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unsurprisingly, a 2005 study<\/a> of African American women found that painful pap smears don\u2019t make for willing repeat customers. What was<\/em> surprising, however, was the study\u2019s finding that the usual barriers to screening (including lower education and socioeconomic status, poor access to care, knowledge of and exposure to known risk factors of invasive cervical cancer, cancer fatalism, and perceived racism) were not enough to keep African American women away from pap smears. Instead, it was pain (especially combined with difficulty paying) that was the strongest predictor of women being unwilling to undergo future pap smears. 20 years later, the issue of payment is now a moot point, since pap smears have to be covered at 100% by insurance as preventative services\u2013yet the pain (and fear of pain) during pap smears still abides.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are pap smears painful?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The reasons why pap smears are painful vary, but all are fairly intuitive. As any pelvic floor therapist will tell you, women commonly hold stress in their pelvic floor<\/a>. Anything that increases stress may cause women to clench or tense up their bodies (including their pelvic floor), causing their vagina to resist the pressure of the speculum (the device used during a pap smear to open the vaginal walls, making the cervix more accessible to the healthcare professional). Unsurprisingly, this can result in feelings of pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other reasons women may experience pain during a pap smear may include (but are not limited to):<\/p>\n\n\n\n