What are paps for?

The main point of the pap is to look for abnormal cervical cells, which could indicate cervical cancer. Cervical cancer can be a serious threat to women, and most women noticed no signs or symptoms when their pap came back abnormal. So paps can detect abnormal cells long before a woman would ever realize she had cancer or was at risk for cancer. Early detection means more treatment options.

During the pap the doctor can also look for signs of infection or other issues, such as redness, swelling, unusual discharge, etc. Many doctors will also do a breast exam when you come in for a pap.

How do women get cervical cancer?

Unlike other forms of cancer, cervical cancer is usually caused by a virus.  The virus is called HPV, and it can be sexually transmitted.

HPV is not uncommon.  In fact, it's estimated that 80-90% of people either have it, had it, or will get it!  HPV often has no symptoms at all.  That's why paps are so important, and that's why they're recommended for all women.

What does a pap feel like?

Paps may be uncomfortable, but they shouldn't hurt. The more tense you are, the more uncomfortable it will probably be. So take a deep breath, relax your body, and think good thoughts.

The doctor knows you're uncomfortable, so he or she will try to hurry and be gentle. They start by sticking a lubricated tool into the vagina. This holds the vagina open. Then the doctor sticks a Q-tip looking thing in, touches your cervix, and that's it. The whole thing is over within a minute or two.

When does it need to be done?

Doctors all used to say that women needed a pap once they turned 18 or started having sex, whichever happened first.  And from there, they'd need to come in for paps every year.  And some doctor still do recommend that.  But cervical cancer is slow to progress, and our medical technology gets better all the time.  That means we're detecting cervical cancer and abnormal cells earlier.  So doctors don't all agree, and you may notice a good deal of variety in terms of their recommendations!  Some doctors are starting to say it's ok for women to wait longer before their first pap (around age 21 or within three years of first having sex, whichever happens first) and to wait longer in between paps (up to three years for women under 40 who have normal paps). 

I had an abnormal pap. Now what?

If the doctor tells you your pap is abnormal, it means your cells didn't look quite right. That doesn't necessarily mean you have or will get cervical cancer though. In fact, you probably don't have cervical cancer and you probably won't get it.

Abnormal cells are common (my doctor said she sees about three abnormal paps a day), and most abnormal cells never become cancerous.  Some things can also interfere with a pap and give you an abnormal result even if your cells aren't actually abnormal.

But the doctor will want to take a closer look. So the next step is to get a colposcopy. That just means they take a good long look at your cervix. It feels just like a normal pap, but it lasts longer (about 10 to 15 minutes instead of one or two - I'd recommend bringing a magazine or something to take your mind off it a little bit and help you relax.).

If the pap was wrong and your cervix looks normal then you probably don't have HPV, and you get to put your clothes on and go home.

But if it does look like you have abnormal cells on this close up exam, that means you probably do have HPV.  The doctor will then take a tissue sample to biopsy to make sure you don't have cancer. You'll probably feel cramping as if you had your period around this time (and you might continue to feel crampy for the next day or two). They numb the cervix, but many women say they still feel the pinch when the tissue sample is taken. I didn't feel anything other than the cramping though. Then you're done!  After that, the doctor may recommend coming in more often (usually every six months to a year).

What happens after the colposcopy?

The doctor should give you a pad, but I'd recommend bringing one with you just in case. That's because you could have a little bleeding. And they put a bunch of goo on your cervix to numb it and stop bleeding, and all that goo is going to come out at some point during the week (mine came out about three days after the colposcopy was done).

Avoid sex for at least two weeks. Seriously. Your cervix needs time to heal or else you put yourself at risk of infection.

My results took about two weeks to get.

What does HPV mean for my future?

It means you'll have to make doubly sure you get your paps regularly.  If you do not have health insurance, you can get free or low cost paps from clinics like Family Planning and Planned Parenthood.

Discuss it with your doctor to make sure you fully understand it.  And discuss it with your partner(s) as well.

There is no cure for HPV, but most people fight off the infection after a few years.

Other than that, most people with HPV have no signs, symptoms, or problems.

What about the HPV/cervical cancer vaccine?

There is a vaccine for HPV.  It helps prevent HPV but will not cure an infection that you already have.  It protects against some of the more common types of HPV, but it does not protect against every type of HPV (there are over 100 different kinds!).  So even girls who get the vaccine should get their regular paps.

The vaccine is mainly for girls ages 9 to 26.  It is most effective if a girl gets it before becoming sexually active.  The vaccine has not been tested in women over 26 or in pregnant women. 

But the vaccine is fairly new and hasn't been well tested even in the age group that it's recommended for.  That means we don't know if it will offer lifelong protection or if it will have nasty side effects ten years down the road.

So some doctor are recommending the vaccine, while others are saying it's best to hold off until more testing is done.  In other words, we already know cervical cancer probably won't kill you.  We're not entirely sure what the vaccine will do to you though.

How else can I protect myself against HPV?

Don't rush into sex.  The cervix is made up of two kinds of cells.  One kind is pretty tough, the other kind is weaker.  Our cervix starts out mostly made of the weaker cells, then it gets more of the tough cells once we reach adulthood.  Teens have a weaker cervix and are therefore more prone to HPV infections.

Limit your number of sex partners.  Every sex partner you have increases your chance of getting HPV and other STDs.

Use condoms.  Condoms do not offer complete protection from HPV, but they can help.

Other issues?

Don't be afraid to visit your doctor even if you are not due for your pap.  Schedule an appointment if you have pain and bleeding during urination, if your discharge takes on an unusual smell or color, if you need hormonal birth control, or if you have other questions or issues.

"Pardon me, pilgrim! This Thanksgiving, how about ditching the dead bird? These beautiful, inquisitive, intelligent birds endure lives of suffering and painful deaths. Here are 10 good reasons to carve out a new tradition by flocking to vegetarian entrées, along with some scrumptious holiday cooking tips and recipes—thankfully, none of them require stuffing food up anyone's behind.

1. They're Begging Your Pardon
Turkeys are “smart animals with personality and character, and keen awareness of their surroundings,” Oregon State University poultry scientist Tom Savage says. Turkeys are social, playful birds who enjoy the company of others. They relish having their feathers stroked and like to chirp, cluck, and gobble along to their favorite tunes. Anyone who spends time with them at farm sanctuaries quickly learns that turkeys are as varied in personality as dogs and cats. The president “pardons” a turkey every year—can't you pardon one too? Learn more about turkeys.

2. Get Rid of Your Wattle
Turkey flesh is brimming with fat. Just one homemade patty of ground, cooked turkey meat contains a whopping 244 mg of cholesterol, and half of its calories come from fat. Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters. Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are. Learn more about animal products and your health.

3. Can You Spell ‘Pandemic’?
Experts are warning that a virulent new strain of bird flu could spread to human beings and kill millions of Americans. The Bush administration is trying to deal with the problem, but experts warn that current factory-farm conditions, in which turkeys are drugged up and bred to grow so quickly they can barely walk, are a prescription for disease outbreaks. Eating a turkey carcass contaminated with bird flu could kill you, and currently available drugs might not work. Cooking should kill the virus, but it could be left behind on cutting boards and utensils and spread through something else you're eating. Learn more about bird flu.

4. Recall Process Doesn't Fly
The U.S. government is the only government in the Western world that does not have the power to recall contaminated animal products. Instead, American consumers must trust the profit-hungry meat, dairy, and egg industries to decide when recalls are necessary. Dan Glickman, secretary of agriculture under President Bill Clinton, explained that this limit on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) power to protect consumers from tainted animal products is “one of the biggest loopholes out there.” There are all sorts of killer bacteria found in turkey flesh, including salmonella and campylobacter. The Center for Science in the Public Interest found that 28 percent of fresh turkeys were contaminated with bacteria, primarily with campylobacter, for which the USDA does not even require testing. Learn more about meat contamination.

5. Let the Turkeys Give Thanks!
Let's face it: If you're eating a turkey, that's a corpse you've got there on the table, and if you don't eat it quickly enough, it will decompose. Is that really what we want as the centerpiece of a holiday meal: an animal's dead and decaying carcass? Thanksgiving is a time to take stock of our lives and give thanks for all that we have, so why not let the turkeys give thanks too? Learn more about what happens to turkeys on factory farms.

6. Want Stuffing With Your Supergerms?
Dosing turkeys with antibiotics to stimulate their growth and to keep them alive in filthy, disease-ridden conditions that would otherwise kill them poses even more risks for people who eat them. Leading health organizations—including the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and the American Public Health Association—have warned that by giving powerful drugs (via animal products) to humans who are not sick, the farmed-animal industry is creating possible long-term risks to human health and will spread antibiotic-resistant supergerms. That's why the use of drugs to promote growth in animals used for food has been banned for many years in Europe. Learn more about antibiotics used in animal products.

7. Without a Wing and a Prayer
On factory farms, turkeys live for months in sheds where they are packed so tightly that flapping a wing or stretching a leg is nearly impossible. They stand in waste, and urine and ammonia fumes burn their eyes and lungs. At the slaughterhouse, turkeys have their throats slit while they are still conscious. Those who miss the automated knife are scalded to death in the defeathering tank. Learn more about the cruelty endured by turkeys.

8. Foul Farming
Anyone who has driven by a farm has probably smelled it first from a mile away. Turkeys and other animals raised for food produce 130 times as much excrement as the entire U.S. human population—all without the benefit of waste treatment systems. There are no federal guidelines to regulate how factory farms treat, store, and dispose of the trillions of pounds of concentrated, untreated animal excrement that they produce each year. Learn more about how factory farming damages the environment.

9. Blood, Sweat, and Fear
Killing animals is inherently dangerous work, but the fast line speeds, the dirty, slippery killing floors, and the lack of training make animal-processing plants some of the most dangerous places to work in America today. The industry has refused to slow down the lines or buy appropriate safety gear because these changes could cut into companies’ bottom lines. In its 185-page exposé on worker exploitation by the farmed-animal industry, “Blood, Sweat, and Fear: Workers’ Rights in U.S. Meat and Poultry Plants,” Human Rights Watch explains, ‘These are not occasional lapses by employers paying insufficient attention to modern human resources management policies. These are systematic human rights violations embedded in meat and poultry industry employment.” Learn why Human Rights Watch calls meat-packing “the most dangerous factory job in America.”

10. A Cornucopia of Turkey Alternatives
Give up the giblets and carve out a new tradition this Thanksgiving—Tofurky Roast and UnTurkey, savory soy- and wheat-based roasts with stuffing and gravy or oven-roasted, peppered, hickory-smoked, or cranberry- and stuffing-flavored Tofurky Deli Slices. Give animals and yourself something to be really thankful for this year: Order a free vegetarian starter kit full of tasty recipes and celebrity features today!

http://www.goveg.com/f-top10turkeys.asp?c=weekly_enews

"(Washington, DC – November 11, 2009) National conservation groups focusing on the restoration of coastal Louisiana are hailing today's announcement by federal officials that the state bird of Louisiana, the Brown Pelican, is being removed from the Endangered Species List. Audubon, the Environmental Defense Fund and the National Wildlife Federation view the recovering pelican as powerful proof that a healthy coast and strong environmental protections can benefit people and nature alike.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the species has sufficiently recovered from the impact of DDT contamination compounded by continuing habitat loss to be taken off the list in areas where it is not already delisted. Populations along the Atlantic Coast, in Florida and Alabama were delisted in 1985.

"The delisting of this iconic Gulf of Mexico species shows that cooperation produces results," said Mary E. Kelly, senior counsel of the Environmental Defense Fund's Center for Rivers and Deltas. "Now, we need to ensure that same spirit of cooperation and results extends to restoration of coastal Louisiana's wetlands, which, among many other benefits, provide habitat and food for this beautiful bird."

"This is an Endangered Species Act victory that demonstrates the great success we can achieve when we work together," echoes NWF's John Kostyack. "Maintaining that success will require confronting climate change and its relationship to coastal restoration and the species that depend on these important ecosystems."

According to Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count, Brown Pelican population trends have risen in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and California for the past 40-50 years. Hurricane Katrina took a toll on the Gulf Coast populations that has not been thoroughly erased, but the prospects remain good, provided coastal recovery stays on track.

"The future of the Brown Pelican depends on the same strategies that will benefit coastal residents," said Audubon's Louisiana Bird Conservation Director Melanie Driscoll. "Pelicans and people need a strong, well-funded coastal restoration plan that will speed the recovery of coastal marshes and the barrier islands that are our first defense from hurricanes and their primary source of food and shelter."

Continued monitoring of Brown Pelicans is essential to detect any unexpected future population declines. Conservationists also caution that proper site selection, operational guidelines and vigilance will be needed to ensure that proposed wind power projects don't threaten recovery in Texas and other areas."

Contact: Dan Cronin, Environmental Defense Fund, (202) 572-3354, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
David Ringer, Audubon, (601) 661-6189, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Maura Wood, National Wildlife Federation, 225-205-2804, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

http://www.edf.org/pressrelease.cfm?contentID=10581

http://blogs.edf.org/greenroom/2009/11/12/brown-pelicans-recovery-offers-hope/