Whether or not you should get regular cervical cancer screenings is not a decision we at Midlife Boulevard can make for you. Please speak with your doctors as you determine how you will move forward with your testing schedule. Below you will find Dr. Allmen offering up information on the latest guidelines for PAP testing.
Dr. Allmen can be found on her website, drallmen.com, and on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
In the 1950’s, the PAP smear was invented to identify abnormal cervical cancer cells. It became the first screening test widely used for cancer detection. Women were taught that they needed a PAP test every year, and that became the standard of care. However, like most screening tests, the PAP was not perfect. Over the years, a lot of women tested positive for abnormal cervical cells, when, in fact, their cervical cells were actually normal. These “false alarms” led to unnecessary biopsies and surgeries.
In 1976, the cause of cervical cancer was determined to be a sexually transmitted disease called the human papilloma virus (HPV). While there are over a dozen strains, the two most common high-risk types are HPV 16 and 18. Perhaps it will be surprise you to learn that most of us have already met the HPV virus through sexual activity. Luckily, our immune systems have taken good care to rid our bodies of the virus long before it leads to infection and cancer. There is a very long lag time between cervical HPV infection and cancer. We are talking about ten years! And that is why the PAP testing guidelines have recently been revised.
The new guidelines apply to women starting at the age of 21. That is when young women should begin PAP testing. If it is normal, the PAP interval can extend to every 3 years. Once you hit 30, HPV testing is added to the mix. This is called co-testing with both a PAP and an HPV test. If your co-testing is normal, you can extend your screening interval to every 5 years. When you turn 65, you will no longer need cervical cancer screening. You are a graduate. Congratulations!
By the way, these new guidelines do not apply to women who have had an abnormal PAP or HPV test. You will have to get additional testing until your screening is normal again. Then you can get back on the low-risk cervical cancer screening guideline bandwagon.
For all of you with young daughters, the HPV vaccine is very effective in preventing infection from the high-risk HPV 16/18 virus. It is important to get this vaccination prior to sexually activity. So please talk to your pediatrician about this important prevention strategy when your daughters become tween-agers.
You can review the current cervical cancer screening guidelines on the CDC Website.
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Dr. Tara Allmen
Dr. Tara Allmen is one of America’s leading experts in menopausal medicine. She is a Nationally Certified Menopause Practitioner and highly respected in the medical community. Inspired to reach millions of American women over the age of 40 with accurate scientific information that can help them, Dr. Allmen has appeared numerous times on local and national television, and created an extensive library of video information available on her website, www.drallmen.com. Dr. Allmen earned her bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Allmen lives in New York City with her husband, Lawrence M. Kimmel, their two children, and a small dog named Sadie. Credentials: - Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist - National Certified Menopause Practitioner - Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - Dr. Oz Show Medical Advisory Board - CEO, The Allmen Foundation - Wife, Mother and Friend
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