Pregnancy induces changes in your body and your mind. Many mothers-to-be experience anxiety, which can lead some to second-guess their most routine medical procedures. While this mindset is understandable, one thing you can definitely cross off your “worry list” is the myth that Pap smears are not safe during pregnancy.It is normal to experience some spotting after a Pap smear, even when you are pregnant. However, this natural response has caused some misconceptions that the Pap smear, a potentially life-saving procedure, isn’t safe during pregnancy.The truth is that getting a Pap smear is safe for you and your baby; it will not cause a miscarriage.Whether you’re pregnant or not, the Pap smear is the gold standard for screening for . It allows us to collect cells from the surface of the cervix and examine them for abnormalities.Cervical cancer and abnormal Pap smear results are almost always caused by the , a sexually transmitted disease currently infecting around in the United States. Though the virus is common, the likelihood of it causing cancer is much less common. In fact, most infections go away on their own. Cancer develops when the infection isn’t detected and managed appropriately, which is why Pap smears are so important. show that cervical cancer deaths have decreased over the last several decades as a result of increased Pap smears. If you follow up on your Pap smear results as recommended by your provider, we almost always will catch the cancer.What’s even more encouraging is that the , which the CDC recommends for all children ages 11 or 12, can prevent cervical cancer from developing. We still recommend routine Pap smears for people who receive the vaccine, but we are finding very low rates of abnormal Pap smears within this vaccinated population.As more people recognize the importance of regular Pap smears, questions about the procedure continue to swirl. We’ve answered the most common ones below., If you’re pregnant and haven’t had a Pap smear in the last couple of years, your practitioner will probably recommend you get one during your first prenatal visit. They may require it as part of your routine prenatal tests and screenings regardless of when you’ve last had one., It’s perfectly safe to have a Pap smear during pregnancy if your doctor offers you one. During a Pap smear, your doctor collects a cell sample from the outside of your cervix while your baby remains safely tucked away inside your uterus..