Make sure you get a well-woman checkup every year even if you don’t need a screening exam. If you’ve had the HPV vaccine, you still need to be screened.
The screening recommendations below apply to most women.
Age 21 to 29
Pap test every three years
Age 30 to 64
Get an HPV test, with or without a Pap test, every five years (preferred) OR
Get a Pap test every three years
Age 65 or older
You may no longer need screening exams if you’ve had no unusual Pap or HPV test results in the past 10 years. Discuss this with your doctor.
Exams for women who have had a hysterectomy
If you’ve have had a hysterectomy, but have not had cervical cancer or severe cervical dysplasia, you should:
- Speak with your doctor about whether you should continue screening if your hysterectomy included removal of the cervix.
- Get a Pap test and HPV test every five years if your hysterectomy didn’t include removal of the cervix.
Exams for women at increased risk
Women at increased risk have a higher chance of getting cervical cancer.
This doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get cancer. But, you may need to start screening at an earlier age, get additional tests or be tested more often. You’re at increased risk for cervical cancer if you fall under one or more of these groups.
- History of severe cervical dysplasia, which is a pre-cancerous condition
- Persistent HPV infection after age 30
- An immune system that doesn’t function properly, such as organ transplant recipients and those taking medications to suppress their immune system
- History of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure before birth
Exams for women who’ve had cervical cancer
If you’ve had cervical cancer, you need a different plan to check for cancer recurrence.
The screening plans on this page apply to women expected to live for at least 10 years. They’re not for women who have a health condition that may make it hard to diagnose or treat cervical cancer
