As I've mentioned around 110 times before, I have had about 2000 pap smears in the past few years. At first it was because I was part of a research study and being paid $50 per appointment (I know most people wouldn't do it for that, but I was very broke at the time, and they didn't used to bother me). More recently, it's because I can't get conclusive test results to save my life, and I have at least three strains of HPV, one of which is considered "high-risk." So I have to keep an eye on things.
Anyway, I'm going for a follow-up pap today (last one was inconclusive) that I've been putting off since December. It makes me nervous. Not the test itself, but what the test might find. I am very educated about this--I know that even the worst case scenario simply isn't that bad--but that doesn't help me not freak out. Frankly, I don't want my cervix cut, burned, frozen, or electrosurgically fucked with, and I don't care how safe and easy it is.
But it beats the hell out of the alternative.
Anyway, the point was not to gross you out or give you TMI on my medical history. The point was to remind all readers that if it's been more than a year since your last pap smear, you should go get one. Gay, straight, bi, monogamous, not--it doesn't matter. It's a pain in the ass, but if I can submit to it four times a year or more, I'm positive you can live through an annual one.