The ThinPrep® Pap Test is the first real improvement to the conventional Pap smear in 50 years. While the doctor still collects the cervical cells from you in the same way, it's the way the cells are delivered to the laboratory that makes the ThinPrep Pap Test so different. As a result, the lab can process a higher quality slide to read.

Once your cells have been taken, the doctor collects them into a vial of liquid instead of smearing them onto a slide. Because the cells aren't "smeared," they don't clump together. This method also allows the doctor to preserve almost all of the sample, rather than just a portion.

The sample vial is then sent to the laboratory, where an instrument separates the cells from unnecessary materials, such as blood and mucus. The remaining, important cells are then placed onto a slide in a clear and uncrowded way. This approach makes the ThinPrep Pap Test slide easier for the lab to read.