January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s a good time for an update.  Many of my patients come in to see me wondering about all the new guidelines and how often they need Pap smears.

Why is this important?

• Every year, 11,000 women in the US women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer
• About 4,000 women will die from cervical cancer
• Many more women will be diagnosed with pre-cancerous cervical changes from an HPV infection and require treatment to prevent it from progressing to cancer

What is a Pap Smear?

When a woman has a Pap smear, a very small amount of cells are collected from her cervix. This is usually painless and takes less than a minute. The cells are then evaluated for any changes that could indicate a pre-cancerous or cancerous condition. The cells can also be checked to see if they’ve been infected with HPV, Human Papilloma Virus, which can lead to cervical cancer.

How often should a women have a Pap Smear?

These are the Guidelines from the American Cancer Society

• Begin Cervical Cancer screening with a Pap at age 21
•  Women 21- 29:  Pap smear every 3 years
•  Women 30 – 65:  Pap smear plus HPV co-testing every 3  – 5 years
•  Women over 65: It depends upon their personal medical history and they should check with their providers

Disclosure: I am working with Hologic, the providers of Thin Prep Pap smears and the Aptima HPV assay.