[identity profile] missjebbit.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] vaginapagina
I just called to make my yearly gynegologist appointment and was told I can still go in for an exam and to get my pills renewed but pap smears are only every 2 years as long as your tests are coming back okay. Then once you're in your 30s it's every three years! Shouldn't it be MORE often as we age?? Pal smears aren't pleasant but at least I know on a yearly basis I am healthy down there. I'm angry about this. Surely I can request it every year if I want? But I doubt my insurance will pay for it to be done yearly.

Anyone else upset about this?? I like knowing the ole hooha is doin what it's supposed
to :(

Date: 2010-08-25 05:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] misspaigeb.livejournal.com
It's not really necessary to test every year if you've had several normal paps in a row. Also, it's not an overall indication of how healthy you are "down there" - just that there were no abnormal cells detected on your cervix at the time.

The reason they test less often when you're in your 30's is because it's assumed that by 30 many people are in a monogamous relationship and/or married by that time, so their risk for contracting HPV and thus, developing cervical cancer, goes down.

Date: 2010-08-25 06:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] eunicemcgee.livejournal.com
Yeah, all of this (especially the pap smears not being the same as a comprehensive exam). If you do fall into the monogamous by 30 category, your likelihood of a new exposure to HPV is slim, to say the least. If you have a new partner/partners, I'd just tell my doctor that, and that because of my situation I'd like to keep a more frequent testing schedule. My insurance still covers one yearly pap, despite the less frequent recommendation.

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