ARE PAP TESTS NECESSARY AFTER AGE 65?

After  the age 65 several  women who have not been diagnosed with cervical cancer or precancer can stop having Pap smears as long as they have had three negative tests within the past 10 years. Pap screening should start at age 21. Routine screening is suggested  every 3 years for women ages 21 to 65.

You could also consider combining the Pap test with human papillomavirus screening or the HPV test alone every five years after the age of 30. Context  Mammography is suggested and is cost-effective for women aged 50 to 69 years, but the value of continuing screening mammography after age 69 years is not known. In particular, older women with low bone mineral density (BMD) have a lower risk of breast . Guidelines for cervical cancer screening and pelvic exams for women over age 65 have recently changed. The Goals of these guidelines have shifted from yearly Pap smears and exams to longer intervals or discontinuation in this age group. It manuscript analyzes the implications for practice as this population of women’s lives longer without gynecologic care. Women over 65 years of age with previous normal Pap smear results in the past can stop cervical cancer screening after consultation with your gynecologist. However, if their previous pap smears had any precancerous lesions (like CIN2 or CIN3) they should continue their regular screening with Pap tests. But women who had never had a pap test done before had higher rates of CIN or cervical cancer. So they should continue with the routine screening. The guidelines for testing are the same even for women who have received the HPV vaccine.