ABSTRACT

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death among women in developing countries. Pap smear has an important value in the early diagnosis of cervical cancer that is a serious problem in women health. This study aimed to determine the status of women having Pap smear test or not and the factors affecting this. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 265 volunteer sexually active women ever in their lives, aged 19 to 61. These all women were selected from those who applied to Gulhane Military Medical Academy Obstetric and Gynecology Outpatient Clinic between April 01, 2004 and June 07, 2004. Women who had history of hysterectomy were excluded from the study. One hundred and thirty six of the 265 women (51.3%) indicated that they had a Pap smear test, and 129 participants (48.7%) stated that they did not. It was determined that, the number of women who had a Pap smear was increasing with age, duration of marriage, number of birth, knowledge about Pap smear and perception of risk for cervical cancer.

Keywords: Pap smear, cervical cancer