A Pap smear involves no opening of the uterus and thus, according to most opinions, does not make a woman niddah. Any bleeding found during the next few days can be attributed to abrasion of the cervix.

For medical reasons, a Pap smear cannot be scheduled while there is still uterine bleeding, as this tends to make the interpretation of the test difficult.

From a halachic point of view, the best time to schedule a Pap smear is after you have completed the shivah neki'im (seven clean days). During this part of your cycle, you are halachically presumed not to be niddah. Therefore, any bleeding that may accompany the test is easier to attribute to the abrasion caused by the test (which does not make you niddah) rather than to uterine bleeding (which might make you niddah).

It is preferable not to do a Pap smear during the seven clean days, during which we are trying to establish that all uterine bleeding has ceased, particularly in the first three days. If for logistical reasons it needs to be scheduled during this time, it would be preferable to schedule on day four or five, or, if that is not possible, days one to three. In practice, appointments are often scheduled too far in advance for that level of precision, and it is halachically possible to do a Pap smear at any point during the clean days.

Regarding bedikot: If your Pap smear is scheduled during the seven clean days, you should continue doing bedikot up to and including the morning of the test. (It is especially important to do the morning bedikah before the test if it falls out on day one or day seven.) You should omit bedikot for the next day or two, leaving time for the area to heal. Bedikot for the remainder of the seven clean days can be slightly shallower, avoiding the cervix, so as not to irritate a possibly sensitive area.

If the Pap smear is on day seven, the morning bedikah of that day is sufficient and you can immerse that night with no further bedikot. See here regarding a Pap smear on day six.

After a Pap smear during the shivah neki'im, it is permissible to wear pantiliners or colored undergarments until staining from the procedure subsides. If you do find a stain that meets the criteria for stains, or if you find blood or any questionable color on a bedikah, you should ask a halachic question.

Please write back to us if you have any further questions.

This response was updated on 1 December, 2025.