Women Should be Screened at Least Every Three Years
Regular testing with a Pap test, with or without an HPV test, can help find cervical cell changes before they become cancer. Treating these changes can keep cancer from starting. Cervical cancer grows slowly.
Regular testing can also help find this cancer early--when it's small and easier to treat.
After age 65 or after a hysterectomy for benign disease, women may stop having pap smears as long as their previous pap smears were normal and they are not otherwise at high risk for cervical cancer.