There seems to be so many thresholds on one’s way to being an adult woman. In middle school it was the onset of puberty, in high school it was getting on medication to regulate menstrual cycles, and in college it’s confronting that doctor’s appointment when you turn 21.
Living in a culture and society that is so reluctant to talk about women’s bodies in an open and empowering way, it’s no surprise that getting a pap smear seems to be on the same level as expeditions into black holes. Before my own appointment, I read countless blogs and discussion forums overflowing with women’s anxiety about their first pap smear. It’s incredible that our discourse about women’s bodies has created such a shroud of mystery around a body part and procedure, that women must take to the internet in search of validation for their fears.
Like most, I was nervous about my appointment, and I wanted to thoroughly do my research so I knew what to expect, since the overwhelming reaction I gathered from around me was fear. I Googled if getting a pap smear hurt, if it made you bleed, if the healthcare provider cared whether or not your vagina was shaved, if it was awkward, and so on. In the end, the volume and types of questions I saw conveyed (unwarranted) anxiety and fear. Still, knowing that women were wondering the same things as me was comforting going into the appointment.
After I put on the hospital gown and climbed onto the exam table, the whole thing lasted 2 minutes. The speculum insertion honestly felt just like inserting a tampon. That said, for women who do not typically use tampons, this sensation may feel a little strange, but not painful. Because the cervix (where cell samples are collected to screen for cervical cancer) has no nerve endings, I only felt the slightest pressure, like pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth. That was it.
As a part of the screen, my doctor also checked my other secondary sex organs to make sure there weren’t any concerning lumps. The whole interaction was, in all honestly, completely anticlimactic. My doctor held a conversation with me through it all, something I felt more comfortable doing than sitting in silence, and it made the time passed in a flash. I spent more time explaining why I thought I might have latent TB (another story for another time).
All in all, my pap smear was made to seem much scarier than it actually was, a common experience I’ve found among friends who have also gotten one. So, if you find yourself faced with having to get a pap smear (recommended or otherwise), take it from me that there is nothing to be afraid of. Getting stitches, a shot, even resetting bones was much, much worse than getting to leave with a sound mind, knowing my reproductive health has the all clear.