New guidelines issued for Pap smears (test needed less frequently)

[The Straight Story]

New guidelines issued for Pap smears


LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A test for cervical cancer is needed less frequently than previously recommended, regardless of a woman's age, a doctors' group says.

New guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advise young women to forgo having Pap smears until they reach the age of 21, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

The updated guidelines, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, recommend an initial Pap test three years after becoming sexually active or at age 21, whichever comes first.

Testing is recommended every two years for women 21-29 and every three years for women 30 or older who have had three normal Pap smears in a row.

The guideline changes for Pap smears were issued just days after a federal panel scaled back advice on breast cancer screening.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/11/20/New-guidelines-issued-for-Pap-smears/UPI-76821258740544/

[ginnyinWI]

1. that's what my doc said last March

If you have a history of normal paps, you only need to get them every 3 years. So that's what I'll do. He also said the hard part is getting the women to come in for a yearly physical anyway. They shouldn't think they can skip their physical just because they won't be needing a pap.

Other things can go wrong even in a younger woman that need to be caught sooner than later. Something like a benign ovarian cyst,for example, which a routine pelvic exam will detect.