The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has released some important 2010 guidelines for Pap Smears that we all think you should be aware of—especially since the HPV virus can lead to cervical cancer in women, and getting regular pap smears is crucial to preventing cervical cancer. To better help you stay informed about this we have cited, directly from their website (http://www.acog.org/) their guidelines. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2010 Guidelines for Pap Smears, as cited from their website:
•The new guidelines state that all Pap smears can begin at age 21. This is a subtle change from the previous recommendation, which had screening begin by age 21 or one to three years after the onset of sexual activity. The change represents the low incidence of cancer in youths. Abnormal Pap smears and cervical dysplasia do occur in the adolescent. All sexually active adolescents should still have an appointment with a pediatrician or gynecologist to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases and have safe sex counseling and discussion about contraception.
•Cytology screening should be performed every two years for women ages 21-29 under the new guidelines. For women 30 and older, the Pap smear might be performed every three years if there are three consecutive normal Pap smears. These recommendations don't apply to high-risk women such as those who are HIV-positive or immunosuppressed. Despite these recommendations for the cervical cytology screening, there are still many reasons an annual exam should occur. Often during the annual exam, other health issues are addressed.
•The screening may cease at ither age 65 or 70 if there are three or more normal Pap smears leading up to that age, and no abnormal Pap in the past 10 years. For women who have had a hysterectomy for benign disease, the Pap smear may cease if there is no previous history of cervical dysplasia. This group of patients needs to have a discussion with their doctor. Many women have had hysterectomies but the cervix is still present. For those individuals, Pap smears would continue to at least age 65 to 70.
•There are several high risk factors associated with cervical cancer. The first is lack of screening - in 50 percent of cervical cancer cases, cytology screening has never been done. In another 10 percent of cases, screening had not been done for five years before diagnosis. Other risk factors include human papillomavirus infection, smoking, early onset of sexual activity, multiple sexual partners and being HIV positive.
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