Screening for Cervical Cancer

Screening Recommendations

Cervical cancer screening is generally recommended for women who are sexually active and have a cervix. Other recommendations include:

• Begin screening within 3 years of the onset of sexual activity or age 21 (whichever comes first)
• Repeat screening at least every 3 years - most organizations recommend annual screening
• After age 30, women who have had 3 normal test results in a row may reduce screening to every 2-3 years (unless other risk factors such as HIV exist)
• Women who have undergone hysterectomy without removal of the cervix should continued screening at least until age 70

Screening is NOT necessary for:

• Women who have undergone a total hysterectomy with removal of the cervix (unless the procedure was done because of malignancy)
• Women over the age of 65-70 who have been adequately screened with 3 or more normal Pap results within the previous 10 years
• Women over the age of 70, unless they have never been screened before