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    Consumer Health: Is a Pap smear necessary after a hysterectomy?

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If you've had surgery to remove all or part of your uterus — a total or partial hysterectomy — you may or may not continue to need routine Pap tests.

A Pap test, also called a Pap smear, is a routine screening test for early diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Many factors will influence your health care provider's recommendation for your need to continue Pap test after a hysterectomy, including your age, the type of surgery you had and the reason for it, and your family history — particularly whether your mother took the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) while she was pregnant with you.

Learn more from Dr. Tatnai Burnett, a Mayo Clinic OB-GYN, about the need for Pap tests after a hysterectomy.

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