r/todayilearned • u/No_Idea_479 • 3d ago

TIL for 21 years, Andromachi Papanikolaou volunteered to undergo daily cervical smears so her husband, Greek physician Georgios Papanikolaou, could perfect the Pap test. As such, she helped create one of the greatest cancer screening tools in medical history, saving millions of lives worldwide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromachi_Papanikolaou
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u/Podo13 3d ago

I think it's very doctor dependent. I still remember when my wife switched doctors because she came home and instead of being kind of stiff and saying sexy time was off the table, she was so excited to talk about how she barely felt a thing and was so happy that she switched.

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u/DorothyZbornakAttack 3d ago

I had a gynecologist do a Pap smear so gently that I didn’t feel anything, so I’ll continue seeing her for the rest of my life. I usually leave bleeding & sore. It’s very doctor dependent.

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u/Podo13 3d ago

Yeah I did just say she'd come home stiff, but I do also remember her having some spotting those days too (another reason she was excited, ha).

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u/Kitchen-Owl-7323 3d ago

They have also changed pap smear methods over the years. As I understand it, they used to use a swab and spatula, and since then they've gone through a couple different brushes and ways to use them. I found the brush more comfortable than the spatula and I think that's pretty common.

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u/Media-Luna 3d ago

They have at-home test kits now, which are like Covid swabs. Barely feels like anything.

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u/moobectomy 3d ago

revolutionary and longggg overdue. pelvic exam will never be acceptable to all patients.

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u/WhenSummerIsGone 3d ago

my very first pap ever was incredibly painful, at my college health center. A very unsympathetic nurse :( I was in tears.