Most doctors will still charge you for a missed appointment, and even if you have insurance, a lot of times they won't cover that.

Most doctor's offices have some policy in place for last-minute cancellations like this, usually a fee.

In my experiences a situation like this is usually understood and the fee is waived. If you just forget or cancel without a good excuse then the charges hold.

I understand why you're scared, but there's really no need to be, it's not so bad. It's awkward to have a doctor fumble down there, and the procedure itself is a bit uncomfortable, but in my experience not painful, and it doesn't take long. Find a doctor you feel comfortable with, and you'll be good.

I agree. It's slightly uncomfortable and awkward, but not painful. I understand the trepidation though. I was nervous too. One piece of advice; don't schedule it for when you might be on your period. The menstrual blood can potentially compromise the sample and then you have to redo it.

Couldn't agree more some things are worth the effort especially if the price is your life

Hello, forgive the personal question and obviously don't answer if you don't want to . . . Everything I've read, from sources such as the national cancer institue, indicate that without some genital to skin contact then HPV (the strains responsible for cervical cancer, at any rate) can't be transmited. (An aside question, does none know if this includes a single instance of giving or reviving a hand job with absolutely no other contact and disinfectant washing afterwards?) And apparently 99.7% percent of all cervical cancer has been found to co-incidental with HPV. (And at that rate I'm thinking the .03 percent may just be poor testing. It certain fits within any P value.) So, when you say you were a virgin, well . . . what was your sexual history? EDIT: whoops, you didnt say that. I'm only asking because I'm trying to decide on having a pap smear or not. And there's one other thing I'd like to point out, just generally. Pap smears only detect changes in cells within the ******, and are not used to check for STD's. Because of this, I'm considering going in for a visual (and breast) examination only. This does unfortunately miss out on the portion of the exam where they feel specific internal organs for lumps . . . which could fair well be due to some other cancer. Also, ehm, uh, it's called a pap smear in most places, but it DOE occur as part of a larger pelvic examination, right? Honestly, I thought it was just pap smear for the longest time and was going to make my choice based on that only. (And yes, I know the recommendation is when first sexually active or 21. Apparently, that or clause is just because they expect people to lie. So please nobody reply with information I already have. If it's new though, please do add it.)