Who should have Pap tests?
Women who are or have been sexually active, or have reached age 18, should have Pap tests and physical exams regularly. Women may want to discuss with their doctor how often to have the test. There is no known upper age at which Pap tests cease to be effective. Older women should continue to have regular physical exams, including pelvic exams and Pap tests. Women who have had consistently normal Pap test results may want to ask the doctor how often they need to have a Pap test. Women who have had a hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus, including the cervix) should talk with their doctor about whether to continue to have regular Pap tests. If the hysterectomy was performed for treatment of a precancerous or cancerous condition, the end of the vaginal canal still needs to be sampled for abnormal changes. If the uterus (including the cervix) was removed because of a noncancerous condition such as fibroids, routine Pap tests may not be necessary. However, it is still important for a
