Can a pap be normal but really be abnormal?

Answer by  Tiffany34 (14)

Yes your papsmear could come back normal, when really its abnormal. Doctors make mistakes. Also, it could be to soon to catch if there really is something there.

Answer by  MzGlace (373)

In some rare instances, a PAP will fail to diagnose a problem, but this is extremely rare, so most are fine.

Answer by  kdem (551)

Not likely. You either have the bad cells or not. Dysplagia is what they are looking for and even one bad cell will show up.

Answer by  symphonyparis (493)

Yes, what is normal for one woman may very well be abnormal for another. There are several tests which can be run if the pap comes back abnormal by "regual" standards. The doctor will run these tests as a precaution.

Answer by  Hmoravec (6)

Yes. This could be by a "bad smear". This simply means that the pap smear was sent to a lab, and did not have enough cervical cells to be checked.