| Re: Complete Hysterectomy and pelvic exams
Depending on what type of hyst you had..and from the responses above, you can see that it varies, if you have a total hyst..which includes taking the cervix, the follow-up pelvics will include what's called the vaginal vault smear..it is the area that is just stitched up where the cervix was. Depending on previous paps and reasons for the hyst, it can vary from frequently. (every 3 months)....(cancer of the cervix, hpv, etc) to every 2 years..and possibly less frequent. If you are still sexually active, you are at the same risks for various infections etc. The possiblility of vaginal cancer is still there forever..not to say it's likely but, it's a good idea to make sure you have your annual exams. Women sometimes think that once they have a hyst, they no longer need exams. That isn't true and if you have a doc that says you no longer need one, get another opinion. I had uterine cancer, early stage and grade..located high up in the uterus..because of that, my exams are every 6 mo. and eventually probably just annually. If my cancer was near the cervix, it would always be more frequent.
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