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It is important to continue to reassess your gynecological health. Even when vaccines are made available for prevention and treatment of HPV, annual physical exams and cytology will remain critical for a woman's ongoing health care.
Biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical companies, and academic researchers are continuing their work to develop vaccines against the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Some are designing vaccines to prevent initial HPV infections which, if successful, hold the promise of eliminating cervical cancer entirely. Others are focusing on vaccines to control the progress of cancer or prevent its recurrence in women who already have cervical dysplasia or cancer.
While a number of these vaccines are in clinical trials, developers still face many challenges, and it may be years before an effective and affordable vaccine will be available for widespread use.
In the meantime, regular pelvic exams, including cervical cancer screening, are your best protection against the disease. While you should consult with your doctor to find out how often you should be screened, recently revised guidelines for cervical cancer screening from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) provide the following specific recommendations.
| First screen |
Women up to age 30 |
Women age 30 and older |
| About three years after first sexual intercourse or by age 21, whichever comes first. |
Annual cervical cytology (Pap) testing. |
Three screening options:
- Women who have had three negative results on annual Pap tests can be re-screened with cytology alone every two to three years.
- Annual cervical cytology testing.
- Cytology with the addition of an HPV-DNA test. If both the cervical cytology and the DNA test are negative, re-screening should occur no sooner than three years.
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*Women of any age who are immunocompromised, are infected with HIV, or were exposed in utero to DES should be screened annually.
Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists |
The ACOG also noted in its guidelines that most women who have had a hysterectomy with removal of the cervix for benign reasons may discontinue routine Pap testing. However, women who have had the procedure and also have a history of abnormal cell growth should be screened annually until they have had three consecutive, negative Pap tests, at which time they can discontinue routine screening.
Other generally accepted screening guidelines call for:
- Post-menopausal women to continue to have regular Pap tests.
- Women 65 to 70 who have had at least three normal Pap tests and no abnormal Pap tests in the last 10 years may decide, after talking with their physicians, to stop having Pap tests.
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