10 Pap Smear Results and What Each One Truly Means

The numbers your doctor should explain before you leave the office.

You got a call about your Pap smear. The person on the other end says something like “mildly abnormal” or “atypical cells” and tells you not to worry. But what does that result actually mean? And how much should you worry, or not worry, based on the evidence?

The Bethesda System classifies Pap smear results into specific categories, each with its own risk profile. The problem is that most women never hear the actual numbers behind these categories. They hear “abnormal” and spiral, or they hear “it’s probably nothing” and skip follow-up. Both reactions can be harmful. Here are the ten results you might receive, what the evidence says about each one, and exactly what to do next.

The Bethesda System at a Glance

Before we get into each result, here is the complete classification system your lab uses. Every Pap smear result you receive falls into one of these categories.

Now let’s talk about what each result actually means for you.