To assess the state of the microflora and epithelial cells of the vagina, the doctor collects biological material using a gynecological smear. This procedure is performed before each visit to the gynecologist's office. It is also often performed before hiring a woman, during pregnancy. It is difficult to do without biomaterial sampling if the patient complains of pain, burning sensation in the lower abdomen, thrush, profuse menstruation or discharge of unknown origin. A general smear is performed when planning a pregnancy and during a routine examination. After taking it, experts assess the cervical and urethra, the vagina, and in virgins - the rectum.
How to prepare for biomaterial collection?
Before prescribing this examination, the gynecologist should talk about how a smear is taken from women, what is allowed and prohibited before performing the procedure. To find out accurate information about the state of health, each patient is advised to observe the following rules:
1. For 2 weeks before taking a gynecological smear, you must stop taking antibiotics.
2. It is not recommended to visit the toilet 2 hours before the test.
3. Diagnostics should be carried out not before the beginning, but during menstruation and in the first 2 days after its end.
4. 2-3 days before the bacteriological analysis, the patient must refuse to eat foods that provoke intestinal upset and fermentation.
5. For 3-5 days before PCR diagnostics, contraceptive and antibacterial agents should not be used.
Features of the procedure
The collection of biological material is mainly carried out in the morning in the laboratory or gynecologist's office. Taking plots and secretions is prescribed only to those patients who are already sexually active. In order to avoid damage to the hymen in girls, biomaterial is taken from the intestines or the lateral fornix of the vagina.
To perform this procedure, specialists use a special spatula, brush and spatula. With these devices, they are applied to a glass slide or a biomaterial is placed in a test tube. The doctors then send the gynecological smear to the laboratory for further examination and obtaining accurate results.
Before visiting a doctor, each patient is advised to find out more detailed information about what shows, to whom a gynecological smear is prescribed.
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