"What is a smear test?
A cervical smear test is a simple test designed to detect abnormalities in the cells of the cervix. It is also called a Pap (Papanicolaou) smear after the doctor who invented it. A small instrument called a speculum is inserted into the vagina and a spatula is put inside this in order to reach the neck of the womb (the cervix). Cells are gently scraped from the surface of the cervix, smeared onto a glass slide and then sent to a laboratory for examination...