DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 44 and have three grown children. My Pap smear came out as showing abnormal cells. The doctor called it “ask us.” He has scheduled a repeat. What’s the meaning of this? – C.P.

ANSWER: “ASC-US” is a word found on at least 3.5 million reports of the more than 50 million yearly Pap smears done on North American women. The “A” of ASC-US is “atypical” – not cancer, but not perfectly normal, either; “SC” is “squamous cells,” the kind of cells that line the cervix; “US” means “undetermined significance” – the importance of these cells can’t be evaluated at the moment, but they bear further watching.

One way to follow an ASC-US report is to repeat the smear in four to six months. If the second smear is normal, then a third smear is usually done in another four to six months. If that smear is normal, then a woman resumes her normal interval for having Pap smears. If it isn’t normal, the woman needs a colposcopic exam (see below).

A second way of dealing with ASC-US is for the doctor to perform immediate colposcopy. A colposcope is a magnifying instrument used to inspect the cervix. The doctor biopsies any suspicious areas for a conclusive diagnosis.

The third option of getting to the meaning of ASC-US is to test cervical cells for papillomaviruses. They are the viruses that cause cervical cancer. If the laboratory finds that the cells harbor one of the viruses associated with cancer, then the doctor has to perform a biopsy.

Your doctor has suggested to you an approved way of dealing with an ASC-US Pap smear.

Since the widespread use of Pap smears began in 1943, the mortality from this common female cancer has fallen 70 percent.

Readers wishing more information on Pap smears and cervical cancer can order the booklet on those topics by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 1102, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.50 U.S./$6.50 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 25-year-old man who consumes three to six cans of seltzer water a day. My fiancée says it erodes bones because it breaks down calcium in the stomach. Can I still drink it? – I.H.

ANSWER: Seltzer water has a high mineral content and often carbon dioxide to make it bubbly. Carbonated drinks without phosphoric acid in them don’t pose a risk for diminished calcium absorption. Will you ask your fiancée to send me the information that says seltzer water does?

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.