Antepartum and postpartum Papanicolaou smears - Are they both necessary?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a Papanicolaou smear performed during pregnancy needs to be repeated at the postpartum visit. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review was performed on women who recei ved prenatal care from our obstetric clinic and returned for a postpartum v isit. All pregnant women who had both a Papanicolaou smear in pregnancy and another at the postpartum visit, about six weeks after delivery, were incl uded. Six hundred one patients were studied who had complete records betwee n 1995 and 1996. RESULTS: The average length of time between the two smears was 209 days. Wi th the exception of a lower frequency of the presence of endocervical cells in the antepartum Papanicolaou smears, there were no differences between t he distribution of Papanicolaou smear results. In patients without risk fac tors and a normal antepartum Papanicolaou smear, the prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesion on the postpartum smear was very low (4 in 1,000). CONCLUSION: In patients without risk factors for cervical intraepithelial n eoplasia and a normal Papanicolaou smear in pregnancy, a Papanicolaou smear should be repeated at the recommended yearly interval.