Miscarriage after a pap smear

Hi, I am in the USA where it is considered "standard medicine" to do a pap (genereally early) in pregnancy. I havent had one yet and I am nearly 4 months. When I went into the Dr. today and pretty much told her I would be refusing it, she pretty much told me that I would not be able to get "the best possible care" and that she would not be the right person for my prenatal. I am refusing the pap because of the risk of miscarrage. Let's just say the the whole staff treated me like I didn't care about my baby because if I did I wouldnt refuse this. When I asked if other people had ever voiced similar concerns and had a problem with this they said "no" and looked at me as if I were crazier still! I am having a hell of a time finding a place that will provide some care without forcing me to put my baby at risk (however small), they just keep preaching their beliefs trying to change my mind and explaining the risks of NOT doing it; never once conceeding to the idea that there is any possible risk to my baby at all FOR doing it. I will continue to fight for what I feel is right for my child and I; it is unbelievable that we should be made to roll over and take it or be made to feel like bad people for our decisions! Who died and made western medicine God?

I had an early pap for my 1st pregnancy and began bleeding the next day; luckily, I didn't loose my baby, but made a decision not to let that happen again. For my last pregnancy and this one, I just refused the pap, explaining what happened the 1st time and how I was uncomfortable with it. My mom always tells me that it's my body, and I shouldn't let any Dr. bully me with anything I feel uncomfortable with. Of course they say it's safe, but the science of medicine is changing all the time. One day the FDA approves a drug as safe; then a few months later pulls it off the shelves because it's giving people heart attacks. They also used to recommend that babies be placed on their stomachs to sleep and we now know that was a bad idea. So stick up for yourself, and if a Dr. is unwilling to respect you, find a new one. With all of these women having the same problem following a pap, why take a chance? Besides, what is the point? Whatever treatment they would have to give you if there were a disease detected by the pap would probably have to wait until after the pregnancy, so what's the point in getting one now? Drs. always want to prod around to feel this or that to see how things are going, but if there is a problem with the pregnancy, there is nothing they can do about it. So I say stop trying to poke at me and leave well enough alone in there!

My whole life I have had no history of any miscarriages, no history of any medical problems, no major surgeries, I have never even broken a bone, and all of my blood tests have been normal. What I do have is a history of having 2 healthy, normal children, currently ages 10 and 14. I too had a miscarriage after having a pap smear and pelvic exam. Grant it, I am 41, but I am a very healthy 41 year old. And, I know that any pregnancy at age 40 or over is considered a high risk pregnancy...all the more reason I should not have had the pap smear. I also know that women have been having babies for centuries without all this medical intervention. And I understand that the risk of miscarriages in the first trimester is not uncommon in any woman no matter what her age is. Anyway, here is my story: I had a positive home pregnancy test on March 6. I had a positive pregnancy test confirmed at a medical office on March 28. On April 7, at 9 weeks and 2 days I had my first prenatal visit. Not knowing that I should refuse a pap smear or anything about the correlation that existed between pap smears and miscarriages in the first trimester, the nurse practitioner did a pap smear and pelvic exam. She told me everything looked fine scheduled another visit for May 5 and an ultrasound in 2 weeks on April 21. That same week after the pap smear my hormone levels began to drop and I began bleeding on Saturday, April 12. I went back to the same nurse on Monday, April 14 and told her I had been bleeding (spotting) since Saturday. I thought I might have a urinary tract infection (I had one while pregnant with my second child). She tested my urine and said it was fine. She also told me my pap smear and blood tests were normal. She did another pelvic exam and said that she saw "clots" and ordered an ultrasound for that same day. I had the ultrasound and the nurse said that the report showed that there was no heartbeat, that I would most likely miscarry, that the baby stopped developing 3 weeks ago. I miscarried 2 days later on Wednesday, April 16 in my 10th week. I wish to God that I had known about the correlation between pap smears and miscarriages, and that other women had experienced this same thing so that I could have refused the pap smear. I had a normal pap smear a year ago and there was no reason for her to do it, and it could have waited. I didn't have pap smears with either one of my children until my 6 week check up AFTER the baby was born. What I don't understand is if the baby was dead 3 weeks ago wouldn't I have miscarried the baby then? It doesn't take 3 weeks to have a miscarriage? Right? I am certain that the baby was fine until I had the pap smear. It just makes sense to me that medical professionals shouldn't be poking things in you and scraping the side of your uterus while you're pregnant. I will tell every healthy woman I know about this so that the same thing doesn't happen to them.

so im super confused and sad because i had the same thing i was spotting brownish stuff for a day and they said it should be ok but because this was my first pregnancy and i was bein paranoid i called the doctor and they said to come in. The doctor did a pap and a blood test saying everything looked normal and not even a half hour later i started having red blood two hours later large clot like chunks started coming out when i went to the bathroom i went to the emergency room that night and they did an internal ultrasound saying the sac was no longer in my uterus and they were sorry to inform me that i indeed had a miscarriage. so here i am today sitting at home waiting for the rest of the stuff to pass just wondering if the pap had anything to do with it. Maybe if i woulda just chilled out i would still have my baby. Am i crazy?

My daughter had a miscarriage last Friday two days after a pap smear. I know she was nervous before the exam, but I believe there may have been a link between the pap smear and the miscarriage. She also had her teeth cleaned the day between the exam and miscarriage, no xrays of course, but I believe the stress also causes miscarriages. Next time no pap smear for her - just in case - this was her first and she has no sexually transmitted diseases with her husband being true blue.

This seems like a no-brainer to me...pap smear or cancer with no treatment during your pregnancy...Personally having experienced 2 miscarriages with "NO" pap smears involved and also having a healthy baby boy who was subjected to positive pap results, colposcopies and biopsies every 3 months during the pregnancy, EVERYTHING was FINE! Of course, I was worried but I have God as my co-pilot and he was in charge. Why worry about things you have no control over...I have been a health care clinican for over 20 years and I have never seen this as a pervasive problem that women would sacrifice their current or future reproductive health and their lives in general over this topic. Maybe sometimes we have to accept that there are not any known answers to these terrible losses as oppose to blaming someone or some procedure that is meant to save your life. It saved my life! Best of Luck!

Interesting... My wife who is from Ecuador has had several healthy children (while in Ecuador) Since being here we have experienced the virtual identical story as indicated by so many others in the paragraphs above. Normal pregnancy no issues -then tested perfectly normal--- 2 days later a pap test -- and then about 2 days later brown spotting followed by bleeding and an exam that showed the baby as dead. My question of course to myself was what could have happened so drasticaly in few days. Nothing in our lives was different in those 2 days. The only thing out of the ordinary was the pap test. I am writing in here because if nothing else this just adds to a list of cases so that maybe someone will start collecting statistics on this to see if there is an actual correlation. That may point to a need for deeper scientific investigation. The pap test with rapid miscarriage may be coincidental or they may be a link. It doesn't seem like anyone has even looked at it closely... I will keep reading-- medical journals may help... :'(

Interesting... My wife who is from Ecuador has had several healthy children (while in Ecuador) Since being here we have experienced the virtual identical story as indicated by so many others in the paragraphs above. Normal pregnancy no issues -then tested perfectly normal--- 2 days later a pap test -- and then about 2 days later brown spotting followed by bleeding and an exam that showed the baby as dead. My question of course to myself was what could have happened so drasticaly in few days. Nothing in our lives was different in those 2 days. The only thing out of the ordinary was the pap test. I am writing in here because if nothing else this just adds to a list of cases so that maybe someone will start collecting statistics on this to see if there is an actual correlation. That may point to a need for deeper investigation. The pap test with rapid miscarriage may be coincidental or there may be a link. It doesn't seem like anyone has looked at it closely... I will keep reading-- medical journals may help... I'll look at those next... :'(

I have had 4 miscarriges due to what I believe are the pap smears. I had a healthy baby prior with no problems. But as soon as the paps became "madatory" I aggreed to have one not aware of the consequences. The doctors pushed to have these done event though I specified not to. I absolutely believe that the paps caused my miscarriages! They could find nothing wrong with me in all the blood tests they did. I am now 7 months pregnant with a healthy baby but not without the mental ramifications from the medical field.

I have had 2 pregnancies and both time have had a pap smear and NOTHING has happened.
I think if you miscarried after a pap is was going to happen anyway.
Pap smears do not cause miscarriage's

:-( I honestly believe that pap test give miscarriage's. My bestfriend is a healthy 41 yr old and she is or was trying for her last child. She hadnt had an exam in a few yrs so when she thought she was pregnant she made her appt. And sure enough the doctor,who is a Breast cancer survivor, forced my friend to have a pap. My friend begged the doctor not to but she did it any way. Turns out she was 6and 1/2 weeks. Not one day later she noticed spotting on the paper when she went to the bathroom. The day after it was like a normal period. An by the third day after the pap she flooded. And I knew it was a miscarriage. I took her to the emergencie room and she was admitted and given a vaginal sonogram and lo and behold the baby was still there and had a heartbeat. But that was short lived. 5 days after the pap she past the fetal tissue. My question is : Can paptest cause miscarriages and can the doctor be held accoutable for her actions?

I know that I will never let a doctor perfom a pap smear on me when I am pregnant again. I tested pregnant and went in for my confirmation appointment at about 7 weeks feeling perfectly fine (other than typical pregnancy symptoms). The doctor said he was going to examin me and I had no idea he even did a pap smear until I went to the restroom shortly after the exam and was spotting. I called the doctors office and they said that it was not uncommon to spot from this test but the spotting didn't stop and when I went in 5 days later to see what was causing the spotting I was no longer pregnant. I believe doctors do believe the test to be safe and I think 99% of the time they are correct but, for me, I am willing to skip the test for a year to not risk going through this pain again.

I went for my first prenatal checkup and had the most painful and uncomfortable Pap smear of my life. I had an ultrasound scheduled the same day. The baby was 7wks1dy and had a strong, fast heartbeat. I had a follow up ultrasound 6 days later because they noticed my uterus is abnormally shaped. When I went to the follow up u/s the baby only measured 7wks and the heartbeat was gone. I know there can be so many causes, but after seeing the strong heartbeat and learning that it stopped so soon after my exam, I have to wonder if the Pap had anything to do with it.

I wished I had known about this a week ago. I always thought pap smears were safe til I had one done 3 days ago and miscarried today. Had an appt on monday to confirm my pregnancy and I was 6 weeks along. Didnt even know the doc was was gonna do one! He didn’t say anything about doing a Pap and I thought he was just going to do a scan or something. How naïve I was!
It was only after he did it that he said he did a pap and told me I would spot, but it’s ok. Well, I did spot and it went away. Sent me for 2 blood test , 2 days apart to measure my HCG levels. But last night I started having cramps and this morning I miscarried.
Some people say that a miscarriage can’t happen with a Pap smear being done in early pregnancy, but it just seems funny how many miscarriages happen after a Pap smear and why not before? And why my HCG levels only went down after the Pap.
The doctor wants me to come back for a followup visit next week, but I don't know if I should..Is it really necessary?

It was a long time ago, but I had a doctor, that has since left the country, do a pap smear on me with my fourth pregnancy. He finished the exam and I walked the four blocks to my home. By the time I got home my jeans were soaked. I miscarried that baby immediately. I turned around and went back to his office but it was lunch time and he was gone for lunch. Convenient. When I did finaly get to see him they did an ultrasound and found an empty gestational sac, they also found a twin!! I have always been incredibly greatful that my daughter is fine (now 20yrs old) but have often wondered if the doctor didn't do something on purpose ( he had a God complex). I suspect even more because he left the country after the prospect of too many malpractice suits and possible criminal charges. Someone tell me that I am just being paranoid and that he didn't do this on purpose!! He told me at the ultrasound that I had something called a corneil uterus, basically it was shaped like a heart instead of a pear and that the remaining baby was implanted in the upper corner and if I didn't abort this baby then we would both die. I went to a different Doctor and he told me that if i had had a corneil uterus someone would have told me after my first three cesareans. I was poor at the time so I think that he just didn't want me having any more children. I don't know but it breaks my heart all these years later. I absolutely DO believe that a pap smear can cause a miscarriage!