Got a cervix? Get a Pap

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Dobinson is a longtime queer-health advocate. She has worked on breast health campaigns and campaigns for lesbians and bisexual women, and is one of the only people in the country to have been working consistently on health promotion projects for queer women over the past several years.

She is familiar with the homophobia and heterosexism that lesbian and bisexual women may encounter from the medical system, and has heard about plenty of negative interactions with the health professionals. But she has seen positive change for queer women in recent years, too.

“As more health care providers get educated about queer women’s health and as there are more resources to use,” says Dobinson, “it dovetails with more resources to share with queer women, who are then more likely to go and get positive response.

“If those two things are happening, then I would imagine that people are more likely to go back and feel like they are going to be well cared for.”

At Planned Parenthood Toronto, where she has worked since August, Dobinson says she is “so excited to be at an organization that is making queer women and our sexual and reproductive health such a priority.”

What is a Pap test?

Information from the Check it Out website, Courtesy of Queer Women’s Health Initiative

Pap tests. No one ever looks forward to them. Many of us are not even sure what exactly they are for or if or why we need them. Below is some information on what a Pap test is all about and why you should consider getting one.

• Your cervix is the narrow end of the uterus which has a small opening (called the os) that connects the uterus with the vagina.
• A Pap test is a microscopic examination of cells taken from the cervix in a doctor's office or health clinic. The Pap test is usually included as a part of an overall pelvic exam, which is a complete examination of the pelvic organs (uterus, ovaries, cervix, etc.).
• The Pap test is a screening tool for cervical cancer, which is preventable through Pap tests and treatment, where necessary.
• The Pap test does not screen for any other forms of cancer.
• The Pap test is not a screening test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). While the Pap test may show that cells of the cervix have been affected by human papillomavirus (HPV), the STI that can cause the cells of the cervix to become abnormal, the Pap test does not actually test specifically for HPV or any other STIs.

Jane Shulman is the Director of Knowledge Exchange at the Canadian Women’s Health Network