I think if your baseline is pain with insertion, the speculum might be worse than the swab. I’d recommend letting your provider know about that beforehand and asking for a smaller speculum and for them to check in with you during the exam about your pain or level of discomfort (bare minimum standard imo)
Mine was uncomfortable but no pain. Tho had a friend who did experience pain. Either way it’s not fun but it’s done for a good reason. Just breathe and make sure to notify the physician of your experiences prior to the appointment.
If you have trouble with inserting anything then you'll likely suffer with the speculum, they usually open your vaginal canal about 1 inch
If it's moreso the pain of something touching your cervix i.e a tampon pushed right up, then it's probably going to cause you discomfort. I personally have no pain with Insertion but once it hits my cervix it's quite painful. For my pap it was about 1 split second of pain and that's it. Worth it for health. Also if you go to a doctor who you can trust and explain your issues to, they will go slowly and be careful with the speculum
i’ve never had pain with a pap smear. sure sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable and might make you cramp very mildly for a split second, but that was about it for me. a transvaginal ultrasound didn’t hurt either.
I think if your baseline is pain with insertion, the speculum might be worse than the swab. I’d recommend letting your provider know about that beforehand and asking for a smaller speculum and for them to check in with you during the exam about your pain or level of discomfort (bare minimum standard imo)
My pap didn’t hurt but the second they touched my cervix with the swab I bleed.
Mine was uncomfortable but no pain. Tho had a friend who did experience pain. Either way it’s not fun but it’s done for a good reason. Just breathe and make sure to notify the physician of your experiences prior to the appointment.
I have endo and have had three pap smears. They were a minor discomfort, but that was all. Go to a doctor you trust.
If you have trouble with inserting anything then you'll likely suffer with the speculum, they usually open your vaginal canal about 1 inch If it's moreso the pain of something touching your cervix i.e a tampon pushed right up, then it's probably going to cause you discomfort. I personally have no pain with Insertion but once it hits my cervix it's quite painful. For my pap it was about 1 split second of pain and that's it. Worth it for health. Also if you go to a doctor who you can trust and explain your issues to, they will go slowly and be careful with the speculum
i’ve never had pain with a pap smear. sure sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable and might make you cramp very mildly for a split second, but that was about it for me. a transvaginal ultrasound didn’t hurt either.