Does a pap smear test for Herpes?
A pap smear is a test for irregular cells on your cervix. It doesn’t test for specific diseases – only for irregular cells on your cervix. If you have irregular cells, then the doctor will call you back for more tests. Tests are done for very specific things. A “blood test” won’t test for every single disease and only report the ones that are there. You need to do a specific test for everything you want to know – a test for herpes, one for cholesterol, one for liver function, etc etc. And even if you get a “full panel of STD tests” it often doesn’t include herpes. Because you can have either strain of herpes (HSV1 or HSV2) on either your mouth or your genitals, a blood test for herpes will only tell you THAT you have herpes, not where you have it. Since 50% to 80% of adults have oral herpes – and it is not an STD – most doctors don’t even look for it unless you have symptoms. You’d need to ask for a test for herpes, specifically. Good question.
