The Importance of a Yearly Pap Smear

The Importance of a Yearly Pap Smear

Pap smears can detect abnormalities before they turn into cancer

Regular preventive care is one of the most important ways to maintain your [color=#0000ff]health[/color] over time. If you wait to see a doctor only when you notice a problem, it may be too late.

Cervical cancer screening is especially important for [color=#0000ff]women’s health[/color] — but how and when it should be done has been the subject of some recent debate.

Current guidelines from the American Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that women should have a Pap smear every two years starting at age 21. After age 30, you may decrease the frequency to every three years if you’ve had three normal Pap test results in a row and if your immune system has not been weakened by a virus or recent health condition.

Other organizations, however, including the American Cancer Society, suggest that women over 30 should be screened using a combination of both the traditional Pap and the HPV (human papillomavirus) test — which, according to a recent study published in the journal Lancet Oncology, may detect abnormal cervical lesions earlier and more accurately than the Pap test alone.

More research is needed to determine how the HPV test should be incorporated into our screening program, but experts say it’s not likely to replace the Pap anytime soon. For now, both ACOG and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force say Pap smears are a woman’s best bet for early detection of cervical cancer.

“Pap smears can detect early precancerous changes on the cervix,” explains Johnathan Lancaster, MD, PhD, chair of the department of women’s oncology and director of the center for women’s oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, in Tampa, Fl. “These changes can be easily treated, thus dramatically reducing the risk of progression to [color=#0000ff]cervical cancer[/color].”

What Problems Can a Pap Smear Detect?

“Pap smears are not designed to detect cervical cancer,” says Dr. Lancaster. “They are designed to detect cervical dysplasia, or precancerous changes [in the cervix].” When abnormal cells are detected by Pap smear, your doctor can take steps to figure out the culprit behind these changes and treat the condition before it turns into cancer.

How Often Should I Have a Pap Smear?

“Like all medical tests, Pap smears are not 100 percent accurate,” he says. “This reinforces the importance of having regular Paps, so that even if one Pap misses an early abnormal change, it’s likely to be picked up at the next Pap.”

What if I Have an Abnormal Pap Smear?

An abnormal Pap smear means abnormal cells have been identified on your cervix. Depending on the type of cells found, your doctor may recommend repeating the test in four to six months, Lancaster says. Other times, they may choose to perform a [color=#0000ff]colposcopy[/color] in order to get a better look at the cervix and take tissue samples to [color=#0000ff]biopsy[/color] so they can determine what types of cells are present.

During a colposcopy, a thin tube with a very small camera attached to it is gently inserted into the vagina, up to your cervix. During a biopsy, your doctor removes a small piece of tissue from your cervix to analyze it under a microscope. The results of these tests can determine the nature of the problem and guide treatment.

When Should I Start and Stop Getting Yearly Pap Smears?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends women begin getting Pap smears within three years of the first time they have sexual intercourse, or by age 21, whichever comes first, says Lancaster.

“Some women may discontinue Pap smears after age 65, but this needs to be a highly individualized decision based on risk factors and decided in conjunction with their gynecologist,” Lancaster says.

How Should I Prepare for a Pap Smear?

Lancaster says the presence of any substance in the vagina can lower the accuracy of a Pap smear. He recommends women avoid douching or engaging in sexual intercourse for two to three days prior to having a Pap smear to get more accurate results. Lancaster also says it’s preferable that women not be menstruating when having a Pap smear, since this too can interfere with the accuracy of the test.

What Happens During a Pap Smear?

Pap smears are generally painless and usually done during a pelvic exam. The doctor will position you on the exam table and insert a device called a speculum into your vagina; the speculum opens the vaginal area wider, giving the doctor a better view of the cervical area. The doctor will then swab your cervix with a brush or cotton swab to collect cells from its surface, and then send the cells off for analysis to see if there are any abnormal cells present.

Although Pap smears can seem like an uncomfortable nuisance, they are critical to keeping women of all ages healthy. Talk to your doctor to determine how often you should have a Pap smear.

Our gp wishes the pap test to be done every 3 years

Just had my reminder in the post today....

Performed annually in Portugal as a recomended routine as long as gynecological exam including clinical breast exam, external nspection of the genitalia and bimanual

As a transplant candidate, I am required to have a Pap smear and a mammogram annually for the rest of my life, and a colonoscopy every three years.

Just how frequently should you be getting tested for cervical cancer? What your gyno recommends might not actually be right for you.

Earlier this month a number of medical organizations released new recommendations for [color=#0000ff]how often women should get Pap smears[/color]. Previously, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American Cancer Society, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology all suggested that women in their twenties get a Pap smear every year at their annual gyno visit. But now, they've changed their tune and are saying that getting tested every three years is sufficient.

"But the new recommendations are all about cost effectiveness,” says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. gynecologist and clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine. She says that if your insurance will pay for a Pap smear every 12 months, she recommends getting tested, especially if you're not in a mutually monogamous relationship and having unprotected sex. "These guidelines may make sense for a woman who's having sex with just one guy, but not if you're single and not using condoms. If that's you—and your insurance will pay for it—don't wait three years to get tested."

Another reason to ask for a Pap smear each time you see your gyno (and allow us to take this moment to say, You are seeing your gyno every year, right?): the test can pick up on other health issues like endometriosis. "Twenty-five percent of uterine cancer diagnoses can be initiated by what a doctor sees on a Pap smear," explains Minkin. She pointed out, though, that these cases aren't common and don't justify annual Pap smears in terms of cost effectiveness. So, again, it's all about whether or not your insurance will foot the bill.

Now, if your insurance does cover the tests, but your doctor pushes back on your request, Minkin recommends saying, "I understand the new guidelines, but my insurance covers it and I'd feel more comfortable if you did it." Most gynos will do as you request, and if yours doesn't, don't feel guilty about finding a doc who will.

Regardless of your insurance, there's one thing you've got to make sure your gyno is doing every single year. Even if she's not testing you for cervical cancer, it's imperative that she still do an internal exam so she can check your cervix, says Minkin

Read more: How Often to Get Tested for HPV - New Pap Smear Recommendations - Cosmopolitan

Yes, indeed! Welcome to the Age of Obamacare! As a potential recipient of a kidney transplant (somewhere down the Yellow Brick Road), I'm required to have an updated Pap smear and mammogram every year for the rest of my life. Fortunately, my current insurance pays for it. If it didn't I'd find some way to get it done just to stay on the UNOS list.

I'd rather die than go to a gyno for anything! I have a touching phobia. No one touches me down there but myself. I never have gone to a gyno and never will.

I'm not belittling your phobias in any way, I have a few of my own to deal with, but are you seriously saying that you would rather die a slow painful death from cancer than to go get checked out once a year? I take it you're not planning on children, or intimate physical relations for that matter, because both of those generally require touching "down there". Just saying!

And I'm pro abortion so I don't ever plan on having anything resembling a kid. A pet? Yes.

NervousLilPatient said:

I'd rather die than go to a gyno for anything! I have a touching phobia. No one touches me down there but myself. I never have gone to a gyno and never will.

So, it sounds like you don't have sex, are you celibate?

Why are you here and looking for someone to play with if you won't let anyone touch you "down there?"

NervousLilPatient,

Let me start by saying, which is way too much information for everyone, but,.....I currently have a PMS migraine, not that I am making any excuses for what I am about to say, just sayin because I will come across as a total bitch here in a few minutes and just thought I might give an explanation ahead of time. Having said this, I will try to be as nice as possible, I swear.

I completely agree with ladydocisin, you need, for your own health and well being, to go and see your doctor. You don't have to go to the gyno for a pap and what not, your regular doctor can do the job just as well, but seeing as how you are 27 years old, ummm, you are way past due, by about 9 years.

Now while I agree with lady that you need to go have these things done, I might suggest that you first go see a shrink. As a medical professional I totally get that you have a phobia, but you can get over that with the help of a shrink and medications. I have a pretty severe case of white coat syndrome, and I work in the medical field, ironic on so many levels, however when I had to find a new doctor when I was no longer able to have my boyfriend be my doctor, I had to just suck it up and deal with it. Sometimes it's still not pretty, but it is what it is and I don't exactly have a choice in the matter.

Another reason you really need to see a shrink is because of your comment, "I'm suicidal." I have real big issues with comments like that, really big! If you are really serious about that comment, then again, you need to go and get help, like right now. A shrink or even again, your regular doctor can help you get past that with counseling or with medication, or with both. Better living through chemistry I always say. Actually these days I say, "God love Remeron." Lol.

I have had the NON-PLEASURE of caring for a few, meaning 2 maybe throughout my nursing career (ten years now, boy how time flies, Oy Vey!) for people who have tried to commit suicide and failed because they apparently didn't know enough human anatomy to get the job done correctly. Now I have to tell you, neither case was pretty. These people were basically vegetables, having to live out the rest of their days alone, lonely, and being cared for and totally relying on medical staff to take care for their every need.

One of them, the first one I took care of actually was able to speak and was completely alert and oriented times three. He shot himself in the wrong place which left him completely paralyzed from the neck down. He was able to feel everything though, he just couldn't move. He had a feeding tube so we fed him and gave him meds that way. Sometimes when I was in giving him care we would talk, he liked talking when someone came in to give him care because basically the only human contact he got was when rounds needed to be done by law every 2 hours.

I do almost all of my continuing education credits on psych issues. I love learning about psych issues and diagnosis, current treatments, and how to effectively deal with a patient with a psychosis, but I don't like to deal with psych patients for real, as in on the job. I am way too blunt usually and just don't have enough tact to handle them properly. Some I do, and what I say really makes a difference and changes their lives, but others are far too gone and can't be helped. And not being able to help/fix someone is still a hard pill for me to take.

There have been a lot, and I do mean a lot of research done here as of late, especially in light of this countries economic striffe and what not about the whole "suicide" issue. Maybe I was 10 years ahead of my time with my thoughts because the psych docs and nurses are finally starting to really see the issue of suicide for what it really is. But more on that after the following story.

The man I took care of for over 2 years, in the beginning of me taking care of him, well, to be quite frank was a huge pain in my ass, as well as everyone elses. My tolerance level dwindles very rapidly with stuff like this, but, as a nurse, I have to by law give him the proper care, but honestly, I would even if it wasn't the law. I do not have to smile and be all nicey nice, but I do have a legal responsibility to provide the basic essentials, which is all he got from the medical staff, the basics. He would yell out all the time things like, I need a drink of water, Coke, coffee, or he would yell out because one of his body part itched and he couln't scratch it. He had a call light system rigged up so that all he had to do is blow into a straw to trigger his call light which he was quite capable of doing, he just thought that by yelling we would get there a lot faster. I had to explain to him a few times that yelling at us only caused all the other residents to get upset and complain, and in turn, it also caused us, the nursing/STNA staff to have to stop what we were in the process of providing care with another resident, come in his room, ask him what he wanted or needed, turn off his call light, and again and again telling him that there are 37 other patients on this hallway, all needing their own care as well before so that they could be changed, given the required care and be put in bed as well. I would also have to explain to him that again, rounds are every 2 hours, and unless an emergent situation came up, before he would receive care twice during that 2 hour round period, everyone else had to be given their care first. Then, after all 37 were down or up but were checked, clean, and dry, and if we had time left over during that 2 hour round session, then and only then would an STNA or myself be able to go back into his room again. And, if we didn't have time to go back into his room for the extra something he wanted, not needed, then sorry, and as my famous saying goes, "everyone pays the same, everyone gets treated the same, period."

About a week after meeting and caring for him everyday, I was in his room giving him his meds and his tube feeding solution and he asked me a hard question. He asked me why I hated him so much. I told him I absolutely do not hate him at all. I asked him why he thought that, maybe something I did? He went on a told me why he thought I hated him. He said, because you never stay any longer than you have to be here, and you never talk about your family or home life. And I said I know, because work is work, and my personal life is my own and doesn't really belong in the workplace.

Then there were other times he would either sit in his room and cry, or he would scream out while we were in his room over various things. At first when I started he would either yell out for a staff member to come to his room, about 4-6 times an hour. When we got there he wanted us to do stupid stuff like open the curtains 2 more inches, turn his TV to the left just a hair, but 2 hours earlier he wanted it turned just a hair to the right, and so forth and so on. While I realize that he could not do anything for himself, he needed to learn that we were not at his beckon call and every whip stitch. So, we had another "come to Jesus" meeting. Where I told him that when we were in there he needed to have a list in his head of all the things that he wanted or needed done and my staff would be more than willing to get them done all in one shot while we were in there, but that again, none of us had time to be in and out of his room every 5-10 minutes every hour. For a few days that worked out pretty well, but then he once again started getting out of control with the things he wanted done. My STNAs were finding themselves in there for sometimes in upwards of 30 minutes or more every 2 hours during rounds taking care of his wants and needs. So, I had to go in and put my foot down again with him. This time I brought my staff all into his room and we had one more "come to Jesus" meeting. I told him that he had a choice, he could either have 2 STNA's in his room every 2 hours for 10 minutes, or 1 STNA in his room for 15 minutes. And I gave him the choice. He picked 2 for 10. Then I told him that he had better have his mental list made and in order when it came time for the STNA's to come. I also had the girls do him very first thing for each set of rounds meaning that his care slot would be from 2pm to 2:10pm, and since rounds are every 2 hours, then the girls would be back in at 4pm to 4:10pm etc. I also mentioned that I would be watching this very closely and that before the girls went in to his room, and when they came out of his room they were to report to me so that I could keep exact tract of the time for them in case they got "side tracked", and if after 10 minutes they still were not out, at the end of the 10, no matter what they were doing, they would stop, put him in a safe position and they would have to finish up what they were doing on the next two hour round session. I also told them that their top priority was to change him and reposition him very first thing, everything else was extra, therefore it could be left for another 2 hours if they were running out of time. He hem-hawed and got upset with me, my rules and what he called "us being unfair to him because he was sicker than everyone else, he couldn't move or do things for himself and that he required more help than everyone else, to which I replied, no, you are not sicker any anyone else here, actually for all accounts and purposes you are pretty healthy all things considered, you just can't move your body. I also told him that there were many others on my hall who were currently in the dying process and I rattled off a slue of other diagnoses that were very real, some life threatening, some not so much, but would eventually be. I actually told him that he was one of the healthier patients facility wide that we have, it's just his body that wasn't working or cooperating as he would like it to be.

His next slue of comments sent me on another one of my biggest soap boxes of all time. He said, "I pay good money to be well cared for here, and I deserve to be treated with respect and I deserve to be able to have what I want when I want it." At this time both STNA's had left the room to go care for others, so my reply to him was, "well actually you are paying nothing to live here. Your bill is being paid by the tax payers, which I promise you makes no difference to the care you get, everyone gets treated equally here. And as far as being treated with respect, I don't quite understand what you mean? How do we not treat you with respect?" He said "because when I ask for assistance or want something, it's your staff and your responsibility to make that or those things happen." I then explained to him what the meaning of respect is that it isn't about being at your beckon call, it's about speaking to you and answering you with a decent tone, and listening to all your concerns, desires and wants, and trying to give and or provide you with as much as we can, when we can, and if we can afford to. It's also closing your door or curtain to help maintain your privacy and dignity, as well as making sure you are clean and decent looking and smelling good when you are awake and especially when you are up in your chair and out of your room visiting with the general public and other residents and family members. And respect has absolutely nothing to do with again, being at your beckon call. I also very nicely told him that from what it sounds like to me, and as much as you feel you deserve from my staff, not only of them but of their time that maybe he might be better off hiring a private duty nurse, who would be able to do more for him on a one on one basis. Then I played my little math game with him that I play with all my patients who complain about the quantity of time they are receiving from my staff or myself. And the math game goes as follows... I have 38 residents and 2 STNA's. If you divide that by two, then each STNA has how many residents in their care? Answer: 19. Okay next lets figure up hours. They each work an 8 hour shift, now minus out 30 minutes for lunch and 2 15 minute breaks, which by the way are required by law consequently enough, which total another half hour, then add the lunch and the breaks together and you get one full hour. So now you have 2 STNA's taking care of 19 residents each for 7 full hours. Next we have to figure out how many minutes are in 7 hours. So 7 times 60 = 420 minutes in their total shift. We are on the home stretch now, now we are going to divide 420 minutes by the 19 residents to figure out how many minutes can be spent on each resident during their 7 hour shift, which equals a grand total of, rounded to the nearest tenth is about 8 minutes on each resident total during one 8 hour shift. And to go into this even deeper, the STNA's do a round as soon as they come on at 2:00 PM, then between 4:00 PM and 5:00PM as they are getting them back up for dinner, then after dinner is over everyone wants to immediately go to bed so as the STNA's are getting their jammies on and putting them to bed, changing them, toileting them, brushing teeth etc, which counts as another round between 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM, then they do their last round which is usually a basic quick round to make sure no one is in a total mess at 9:00 PM. Adding all those rounds up totals 4 rounds per shift. Now divide the total number of minutes each resident gets per shift (which is 8 minutes total) by the number of rounds done to each resident per shift (which is 4), which will give you the total number of minutes each resident gets during each round, which is a grand total of 2 minutes each resident is allotted for each round. And I was offering him 10 minutes with both STNAs each round during the shift which gives him a total of 40 minutes each shift when all the other resident are only getting a total of 8 minutes. So I asked him to remind me again about my staff and myself not giving him respect or enough time? He didn't have an answer. However, he wasn't done with me, he had one last card to play, and I had a feeling he would pull this card.

Next he said, "Well, at least you guys could show a little sympathy for me. I'm totally paralyzed, I can't do anything for myself, I live in a nursing home with a bunch of old people, and I basically have no life." Now here's where it might seem like I'm getting a little bitchy, crass, or coming across like I don't care. But as I said in the start of the way too long post, the subject of suicide hits a very raw nerve for me.

I asked him if he was alert and oriented right now. He said yes. Then I asked him if he was alert and oriented when he tried to commit suicide and he again replied yes. So I said, okay let me clarify for a second here, you were alert and oriented, knew exactly what you were doing, what your intentions were when you loaded, cocked, and placed the gun up to your neck, then you willingly pulled the trigger, no one asked you to, no one forced you to, you did it of your own free will and because you wanted to. Am I getting the picture right? Is that about how it happened? He said yes, almost exactly right. I asked him what I was missing then. He said, you forgot that my girlfriend left me because she said......... (wait for this, it's priceless)I wasn't man enough for her and she wanted a man she knew she would be able to count on." So sticking my foot in my mouth I gracefully said, "well, I guess you showed her huh."

Thinking outside the box a bit as I sometimes do. Remember at the start of this I said I would be back to talk about my thoughts and feelings and how I was ahead of my time concerning the topic of suicide? Well here goes my point of view.

First again, let me start by saying that right after the "event", for probably close to 2 months, I was so depressed, distraught, devastated and overwhelmed just to name a few, not to mention scared, exhausted, in a serious case of actual medical shock, also most of the time in a constant state of panic, to the point I shook often, just shook. I was so bad that sometimes I would actually wake up curled up in someplace dark and in a corner, someplace where I could feel somewhat secure because I knew three sides of me were protected, only leaving the side exposed. And that's what I was feeling on my better days. I will openly admit that at times, during the darkest of nights, and even the brightest of days I was so frightened and unsure that I couldn't see or even know what the next day would bring, the next hour, or even the next minute. Everything in my life was spinning out of control and I had absolutely no way of controlling it, much less stopping it from continuing to happen, much less stop it from happening. There were a few times when I had actually thought to myself, 'I just can't do this anymore, I'm not strong enough to handle it. There were a few times during my worst panic attacks when I was having severe labored breathing that maybe having a massive stroke wasn't such a bad idea. And there were a few days I prayed when I went to sleep that maybe I would get lucky and just never wake up. There were a few times when I was driving home from work late at night that I wondered if I drove off the side of the road into the river if it would be high enough, or the water deep enough to take care of it all.

Lucky for me, the thoughts were sporadic, random, those kinds of thought were not all consuming. Also lucky for me was the fact that I wasn't facing this monster alone. Doc was facing it right beside me, and together we stood by each others side, and we stood strong. On the days I was having those sorts of thoughts, he was strong enough to lead me fore ward, and on the days he was having those same thoughts, I took the lead and guided him through until we both again were able to stand again as a wall of strength, and together we kept going, facing each issue head on, and with each issue we conquered together the stronger we both became, both separately and together.

So yes, I have been to the dark place on more than one occasion. But getting back to my theory here. As I mentioned, having done and continue to do most if not all of my CEU's in psych, not that doing so makes me a shrink, just cements the point I will eventually get to here is that, there is no such thing as "being suicidal", not really. It's like saying you are kind of pregnant, you either are or you are not.

According to statistics, and I can't quote you the figures right off the top of my head at this hour, but statistically speaking, most people who have committed suicide have had no previous warning signs, they didn't talk about it to people, didn't discuss their feelings with anyone. Those who want to really do it actually do it, and usually do it right the first time.

Those same statistics also point out that people who openly talk about it are doing just that, talking. The term "suicidal" has basically been given a new definition in the psychiatric community as well as the medical community. The new definition is now called, "attention seeking behavior". Mostly in part because people who openly talk about it want others to dote on them, baby them, coo over them...."oh, what's wrong sweetheart, come on, it's going to be okay", and so forth and so on.

Now, there are exceptions for everything and this is no different, it's called the human factor. But statistics don't lie, facts are facts. I had a friend who used to pull the "I'm going to commit suicide" card every time he and my best friend got into a serious fight. After about the third time, and this time he actually had a professional chef's knife up on his wrist as he was blurting out those same words, I finally walked up to him and I said, "Chris listen, if you want to kill yourself by all means do so. First of all, don't hold the knife on your wrist across it, go up and down, at least do it right. We don't have all day, if you are going to do it hurry up. If you aren't going to do it then stop threatening to do it." He called me a few names and put the knife down. As will most people threatening the same. They want people to feel sorry for them, they want or need to feel loved and that someone wants them to remain alive, they crave the attention, thus making it attention seeking behavior. Because again, if someone is really serious about it, they don't want others to know because they don't want to risk the chance of someone stopping them from following through with their plans.

Think about it. Go get the help you need upstairs first, then worry about your other issues downstairs later.

Mashie.

Wow! You're a great typist for someone with a PMS migraine!

Very well said.

Mashie, Hope the migraine isn't worse after typing out the 21 chapters telling someone to go 'get their head' seen to..

I'm more of the opinion that people have the right to feel, do and be exactly how they want to be, without being judged and humiliated on a medfet site where they should feel safe in expressing their thoughts and opinions 'amongst friends' !!

As it goes, I haven't had a smear in 20 years.. and don't intend to.

I do tend to think 'American's' like a bit of drama to be honest..

Chill.

Good luck to her if she doesn't want anyone touching her down belows!

Just my quids worth ;-) (that's inflation for you)

This discussion reminds me of the following ad from the 1980's, which, by today's standards is deeply insulting to women:

http://comedsoc.org/images/NeedBrainExaminedACS_copy1.jpg

Of course everybody has the right to make her own healthcare choices and should not be judged for what choices she makes.

As most medical tests, the Pap smear also has risks and benefits. One of the "risks" is psychological trauma, which for some women might well outweigh the benefits. If you are one of those women, not having Pap smears might even be a perfectly rational choice.

Re: the importance of mamograms ad

http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/mammograms.htm

There's always a flip side...

Beth,

I've been involved in research on mammograms and I am very critical of the way that breast cancer screening is practiced today, especially in the US.

Having said this, the page you linked is very sensationalistic and does not accurately represent what is currently known about mammography.

For example "There is no evidence that breast-cancer screening with mammography saves women's lives" is not true. There is good evidence that in certain specific age groups mammography does save lives. The issue is that it saves far fewer lives than used to be thought and there is a large price to be paid in terms of subjecting a large number of women to overtreatment and unnecessary anxiety.

"Screening mammography provides approximately 1,000 times greater radiation exposure than a chest X-ray" is also a misrepresentation. The effective dose is closer to about 10 times as much as that of a chest X-ray. The effect of this radiation is highly age dependent, because the sensitivity of breasts to radiation drops sharply with age, while radiation induced cancers typically take decades to develop, so the number of "years at risk" decreases steadily. For women under 30 the risk is so high that under normal circumstances mammograms should never be done. Between 30 and 40 the risk is moderate, while for women over 50 the risk becomes negligible.

Unfortunately, because breast cancer is such an emotionally charged subject, because it has become so political, and because there is big money involved, it is often difficult to have a balanced, rational conversation about it. Sadly, the state of the scientific literature is a reflection of the same situation: when I started reading papers on mammography I was appalled by how polarized the field is and just how bad many of the papers are.

For more reliable information on this subject from parties who have no vested interests in the debate I would recommend going to http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/ or http://www.cochrane.org/cochrane-reviews .

Take note of this radiation dose chart:

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/radiation.png

Points to note are mostly in the blue box areas and the smaller boxes in the green..

Especially note living in Colorado, normal background dose you get by being on planet earth, and especially what you get on a transcontinental flight. Pilots would be dead if this was a real problem.

Susie, I don't entirely see your point. Each blue square is 0.05 microSv, whereas each green square is 20 microSv. That's 400 times as much!

I love Randall Munroe and I think this chart is very informative, but not all the data on it is perfect. The usually cited dose from a mammogram is 0.4-0.7 mSv, whereas his chart says 3mSv. Not that it makes an awful lot of difference.

As I said in my post, the thing about radiation to the breast is that its effect is highly age dependent. The dose from mammograms is only of concern for very young people.

Now healthy women are to have a PAP every 3 yrs instead of annually. My obgyn seemed skeptical this is in the interest of patients. I see it as impacting a key revenue stream of health care providers.

Is recommended to single females that are putting their favors about a bit because you may not realize it but the smear test is only for certain types of cancer caused by to many partners you get some twat that dose not wash his penis to often has sex with you and bobs your uncle.

thats the reason older ladys with steady relation ships are only tested once every 3 to 5 years.

and some wives that may have been getting it away from home are about 25% , the 75% of monogamous relationships the female will show clear on all pap/smear test.

the cancer research organiztions are basicly saying to the ladys that dont stray we dont belive you and thats why we want you tested here in the uk theres a big debate on over smear test and bi manual exams in the older female as they are very inappropriate and the test results are not always correct by 20% of misdiagnosis of abnormality's

Is recommended to single females that are putting their favors about a bit because you may not realize it but the smear test is only for certain types of cancer caused by to many partners you get some twat that dose not wash his penis to often has sex with you and bobs your uncle.

thats the reason older ladys with steady relation ships are only tested once every 3 to 5 years.

and some wives that may have been getting it away from home are about 25% , the 75% of monogamous relationships the female will show clear on all pap/smear test.

@storm1952 I think you are being really judgmental.

What are you talking about, women who "put their favours about" are recommended to have a smear every year but older ladies in steady relationships are only tested every 3 to 5 years? Do you know that on the NHS screening programme you just get an invite when you are 25 and every 3 years after that until you are 50? When you are 50 to 64 it is every 5 years. Some times ladies who have had early stages of cancer or suspicious smears get smears more often but it is 3 years usually. You do not get more smears if you have more partners.

I have changed to going private and having a full gyn exam every year with my private gynecologist and I have a smear every year but it is just because my mum has had problems so I am just being careful. I have only had sex with my husband (1 partner ever) so my number of partners is not important. I have NEVER put my favours about thank you. Yeah, women who have a lot of partners have more chances of getting one of the important strains of HPV but you can also get it from just one partner if he has been infected and he has not got rid of it yet. It is a skin to skin contact infection, and it is not as much that that the penis is not washed.

Is recommended to single females that are putting their favors about a bit because you may not realize it but the smear test is only for certain types of cancer caused by to many partners you get some twat that dose not wash his penis to often has sex with you and bobs your uncle. ...

You might want to revise that statement. Having multiple partners is known to be a risk factor, but women in monogamous relationships are not guaranteed to avoid exposure to HPV either.

... thats the reason older ladys with steady relation ships are only tested once every 3 to 5 years.

and some wives that may have been getting it away from home are about 25% , the 75% of monogamous relationships the female will show clear on all pap/smear test.

the cancer research organiztions are basicly saying to the ladys that dont stray we dont belive you and thats why we want you tested here in the uk theres a big debate on over smear test and bi manual exams in the older female as they are very inappropriate and the test results are not always correct by 20% of misdiagnosis of abnormality's

Can you state your sources of information and justify those statements? Where are you getting those figures from?

Is recommended to single females that are putting their favors about a bit because you may not realize it but the smear test is only for certain types of cancer caused by to many partners you get some twat that dose not wash his penis to often has sex with you and bobs your uncle.

@storm1952 you said in the thread http://www.zity.biz/index.php?mx=forum;ox=display;msg=820993 (post 90)

...my wife for her med check up and pap smear and...

If your wife is having pap smears then are you saying she has had sex with a slutty twat with a dirty dick?

Please, for the sake of all women, don't try and discourage girls from getting valid medical exams that have saved lives by accusing them of being promiscuous or not selective enough. That's just contemptible.

I literally trust my ob/gyn with my life and he says PAP's every single year...so that's exactly what I do!

I think it is important as a screening tool, so I try to get it done every year.

storm1952 said

Is recommended to single females that are putting their favors about a bit because you may not realize it but the smear test is only for certain types of cancer caused by to many partners you get some twat that dose not wash his penis to often has sex with you and bobs your uncle.

This is clearly WRONG

You do not know what you are talking about.

He has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. He needs to use spellcheck also.

Yes, for some reason I have been told that pap smears are every 3 years now. I had my health and physical last fall with my primary care doc and had asked when scheduling the required physical by my insurance if he could do regular H&P plus ob/gyn stuff because my ob/gyn was out of work for another health issue of his own and it takes a long time to get an appt with this gynecologist. .

Needless to say, I was 3 months from the 3 yr mark and was told the day of the exam that I couldn't have the pap and pelvic because had to be basically exactly 3 yrs. My insurance was requiring me to have a physical and I had been told my PCP couldn't prescribe any more medications until I scheduled the exam.

I ask for no judgments on this next part of my post. I'm on disability for physical and mental health reasons so it was my disability insurance that was requiring me to have the physical. This site is enjoyable and I don't like to admit I'm on disability and have Medicare and I'm in my 30's. And I don't like to mention I've survived suicide attempts that have required ICU hospitalization and have later been told it was a miracle that I survived.

Again this is all supposed to be enjoyable and not serious. But suicide is serious and would like to say there are truly suicidal people that are vocal about not being okay.

Suicide is a very sad subject for me. I've lost several friends to suicide. My best friend ended her life summer of 2015. The saddest thing I have ever seen was seeing her 11 yr old son having to help carry her casket. My friend was vocal about her suicidal thoughts. In a period of 6 weeks she was hospitalized for psych reasons 4 times. This was after two large overdoses that happened a little over 2 weeks apart. A week and a half before she died she told her psych med provider she was suicidal and her med provider said she would need to be committed by a court and sent to a state facility if she kept this up. The med provider didn't phone anyone, not even her emergency contact. My friend left and a week and a half later she shot herself.

My best friend had been in remission from depression for 2 1/2 yrs. She should have died all 7 times she tried in her life. ALL 7 times. The day she died her family knew she wasn't okay. The police were ONE mile from finding her before she was able to do the act. Talking about suicide isn't just for attention seeking. It's not just having a personality disorder that desires and wants drama and people to sugar coat life and validate that you have meaning and worth. It's miserable. And it should be taken seriously every time. Hospitalization isn't always needed every time but you never know when someone is actually there at the breaking point. And if someone says they are suicidal please guide them in how to get help or where to talk to someone about their thoughts and emotions.

If you or a loved one is suicidal please reach out to friends, family or the US national suicide number.

Please Call 1-800-273-8255 or via chat http://chat.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/LifelineChat.aspx and if outside the US please use this site to look up your local crisis line. http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html

Every life has meaning and value. Please seek help if you need help. Please.

I am bought into an annual papsmear...i go for an annual exam, i am going to get naked, in the gown, and feet in the stirrups for a pelvic, why would you not just have the pap done. My insurance pays for it every year, I say why do every 3 years!