A pelvic exam is an important part of each woman’s annual check-up. With a PAP smear test, we can examine the cells of your cervix to look for cancerous or pre-cancerous cells. If abnormal cells are identified early, cervical cancer can be prevented or treated with an in-office procedure at your gynecologist’s office. Cervical cancer can develop and spread without showing any symptoms, so early detection and treatment are important.
- Women ages 21-29 should have a PAP smear every 3 years to look for pre-cancerous cells.
- Women ages 30-65 should have a PAP smear and an HPV test (taken from the same sample) every 5 years, or a PAP smear, only, every 3 years.
- Women with an abnormal PAP smear, or those who have symptoms, will need to be tested more frequently.
