Scraping my cervix?

The term ‘scraping the cervix’ that is associated with the Pap test tends to cause distress to many women because it implies ‘sharp, pain, blood.’

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, scraping means “to remove from a surface by usually repeated strokes of an edged instrument” as in rubbing off a tissue sample for cytology.

So ladies: by no means is the Pap test to be associated with a surgical procedure or with sharp instruments cutting deeply into the cervix!  Instead, look at it as a ‘throat culture’ to the cervix — simple and harmless (even you tend to spot/bleed a bit afterward, which is common).