Pap smear may have been done same day as first biopsy. All were negative. My cancer was a slow growing type and perhaps it had to get larger to be detected. I was first told it might just be a “ sloughing off of old cells” and yet was also told that the thickening detected by the vaginal ultrasound was “ not normal” . Just decided to monitor it. It took a year and a positive biopsy to move into action. The hysterectomy was the right thing to do in my case. Wish it had been done a year earlier. Seventeen years post menopausal with any kind of spotting is not normal… uterus and ovaries were no longer needed so take them out ! The DaVinci Robot makes recovery period very short. There were only 5 one inch incisions and I did not stay in the hospital overnight. My surgery was Dec. 7 and I was able to enjoy Christmas. (I had great home care from my husband - a retired family physician who knew exactly what I needed each step of the way. ) I slept in a recliner chair for better part of first week but was able to climb stairs after a few days.