Women with pre-cancerous lesions on the cervix rarely have alarming signs or symptoms. The doctor may not be able to tell you if there is an abnormality by simply inspecting the cervix. Consequently, it is essential for women to carry out cervical smears frequent to prevent the development of cancer, rather than waiting for alarming symptoms to appear. The earlier an abnormal situation is found, the easier it is to treat.
Although smears are used primarily to detect and prevent the most common types of cervical cancers, they are also useful in diagnosing other situations. For example, a few cells in a ovarian cancer or cancer of the lining of the uterus (enometrium) can sometimes be seen in a cervical smear. However, these cells are not always present in the smear, so the smear is not a completely reliable method for diagnosing cancers.
The cervical smears they are also used to detect vaginal infections that cause discharge. This method is not totally safe but it can be used in clinics where it is impossible to culture the bacteria present in the vagina. Infections that can be diagnosed this way include herpes, thrush, and trichomonas, as well as the type of organisms present in some women who carry an intrauterine device.
The cervical smear is a common procedure in family planning clinics and abortions, in maternal clinics, as well as in gynecological clinics. Many companies conduct clinical studies of their employees and ask general practitioners to perform cervical smears especially on women over 35 years of age.
More information - How is a cervical smear done?