According to the new guidelines of the American Cancer Society, testing must start from the age of 20 and onwards (in sexually active women). Testing may start earlier in younger women who have become sexually active and have immunodeficiency problems.
The American Cancer Society recently announced that women 65 or older with no history of precancerous lesions, who have had three or more normal Pap test results in a row and no abnormal test in the last 10 years may stop getting the Pap test. We must stress however that this does not mean that these women must stop their annual screening for the prevention of cancer of the ovaries, endometrium, vulva and above all breast cancer. Annual clinical examination is necessary, as well as any other tests which their physician may recommend (mammogram, ultrasound of the internal genital organs, etc).
